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Monday, Nov 5, 2012 7:45 AM UTC

Wild dogs kill 2-year-old boy at Pa. zoo exhibit

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Wild dogs kill 2-year-old boy at Pa. zoo exhibitA security guard closes the gate at the Pittsburgh Zoo, where zoo officials say a young boy was killed after he fell into the exhibit that was home to a pack of African painted dogs, who pounced on the boy and mauled him, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. It’s not clear whether he died from the fall or the attack, said Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. (AP Photo/John Heller)(Credit: AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Police say a mother’s attempt to give her 2-year-old son a better view of wild African dogs turned into a “horrific” tragedy at the Pittsburgh Zoo after the boy fell into the exhibit and was killed by a pack of the animals as relatives and bystanders looked on.

Pittsburgh police Lt. Kevin Kraus says the attack happened at about 11:45 a.m. Sunday. The mother picked the child up and put him on top of a viewing deck railing, but he fell almost immediately and was attacked by 11 dogs.

It’s not yet clear whether the boy died from the fall or the attack, said Pittsburgh Zoo president Barbara Baker.

The zoo has closed, and it’s not clear when it will reopen.

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