Sad.
A family of five Minnesota Zoo meerkats destroyed after a girl was bitten did not have rabies after all, a zoo official said today. The 9-year-old girl, who has not been identified, was bitten Wednesday when she reached her hand into the animals' exhibit. The meerkats -- two mates and their three offspring born this spring -- had been vaccinated for rabies but were killed because the girl's parents didn't want her to have to undergo a series of rabies shots, said zoo collections manager Tony Fisher... The girl had climbed atop 3 feet of rock work and reached over a 4-foot glass barrier Wednesday afternoon when she was bitten, said zoo collections manager Tony Fisher said. The rock work is designed to allow kids to climb up for a better view, he said.
This pisses me off. I think the zoo would have been better off making a deal with the negligent, ignorant parents. If you're unwilling to subject your daughter to the rabies shots, as administered by a trained medical professional, then, okay, we'll kill our meerkats and test them for rabies. If the animals come back positive, you have to subject your daughter to the rabies shots anyhow, or else, you know, let things go the
Old Yeller route. If the animals come back
negative, though, our large-animal vet will use a nice big 17-gauge needle to inject both of you twits with 50cc of saline solution every day for ten days, just for being jerks.
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