Man has jumped into Tiger enclosure

[PrincessHoneysuckle]

At Yorkshire wildlife park.Anyone seen the video? I live local to it and the video of the man wagging his finger at it telling it no like a toddler is shocking.Hes lucky he wasnt killed.

Unfortunately, lots of people do imagine that.

My son has, to date:

Ran into traffic
Jumped into a lake
Put his hand directly into an oven
Ran away at various community locations

He’s 10. And has already been physically held back to prevent every one of those incidents from causing an injury.

I can well imagine that he would try to get into the elephant enclosure at Chester zoo. Because he likes elephants. So why wouldn’t he want to be near them, to his mind they’re just things from books and videos.

For that reason, he doesn’t go to said zoo unless restrained in a wheelchair of some sort, or on reins.

The level of risk awareness you’re referring to as idiocy is many people’s reality.

A beach is a tourist attraction. Should we fence off the sea?

You raise huge, important and very expensive issues with this post.

Without going into the how and why of the argument, it is very important socially and politically to explore which direction you are going to espouse.

Exactly. Ridiculous isn't it? We can't change everything, because one person just might...............

No it doesn't - any safeguarding policy includes 'vulnerable adults' and protects them accordingly.

I think you can, yes. Obviously there will always be reasons to go into public - doctors appointments, family visits etc - but I fear we have gone too far with wanting disabled people to have ‘independence’ at the cost of their own safety (as well as other people’s). The thought of an adult wearing a manacle so they can’t run from their carer sounds unpalatable but would’ve saved this lad’s life had he been with anybody.

That doesn't mean anything. Many people with SEN use verbal language and other communication means. Many are also taught to say please when asking for something and thank you afterwards.

Many people with such needs use a total communication approach; verbal, pictutes, signs, objects of reference, communication devices....

@ChunkyMonkey36 I sympathise with you and your son, and the need for care and compassion. It must be extremely difficult everyday for you both. But, while there has to be a degree of live and let live, and freedom to explore, most people don't need to be told to stay outside the enclosure.

Can you answer this question in a straightforward manner?

Do you think mentally disabled people are idiots who deserve to come to whatever harm their disability leads them to?

I feel we need to be really clear on your position as this endless skirting around it while using pretty horrible language is quite cowardly on your part.

Whereas the model whereby they were infantilised, deprived of their liberty and institutionalised led to no abuse at all. 🙄

Tigers are from Asia. If they’ve had a long boat ride I’m sure they’d be quite disoriented finding themselves on the African plains.

Of course I know that many people with SEN use verbal language. I just wasn't sure if you were aware that the man in question was able to communicate verbally.

Who did that?

You do realise it’s not locking them in asylums OR treating them as compos mentis when they’re not. There is a middle ground.

There was obviously a way into the tiger enclosure for a fully grown man who was determined enough. It doesn’t mean the wildlife park is at fault.

It seems this man, by interpretation of his hand gestures knew sign language which could indicate he had learning difficulties or was of limited mental capability.

It seems he attended alone.
Reports indicate he was wearing headphones.

You can speculate, what was he listening to? Had he become influenced from the darkest side of the web? Was he on drugs? Did he suffer from (un)diagnosed mental health disorder (bipolar/schizophrenia)? He could have been on prescribed drugs that were unsuitable? Or slipped through the cracks and was self-medicating illegally?

People die everyday due to their mental health. Be that from their own hand, personal neglect or medical services being unable to offer or even know what is required.

All of us want a perfect society where those that need additional resources can access them and those that don’t aren’t put in situations which are concerning or dangerous. But reality shows there just isn’t the time, money, manpower or expertise to fully support the increasing number of complex cases we currently have. There are no easy answers or even realistic ones everyone agrees on.

People are detained in prison as punishment but also to keep the public safe. Quite rightly a court is required to remove someone’s liberty, but the ethics around detaining people who lack capacity and might be a danger is murky and needs to be addressed sensitively in a civilised society.

As the seemingly increase of future needs grows, who knows there might be drugs being developed or therapy techniques which will bring about a new era of treatments, and diagnosis.

There might be conversations and decisions in future about the semi-detainment for some, maybe, but these are decisions that will be approached with compassion and intelligence.

It has only been recently confirmed about ND and genetics, not necessarily hereditary, not necessarily not. But with further research and greater accuracy with predictions it could mean in the future prospective parents are more informed about potential possibilities and risk analysis more accurate to the probability of their personal outcomes.

But the removal of someone’s liberty is, and should remain, an issue of last resort. Of course there may have to be some acceptance that ‘house arrest’ effectively, is the only viable option at certain times for certain people.

I am sure the coroner’s report will be released and poured over in due course, the police will obtain the man’s lap top/phone/search history and medical records. And there may be no definite answers just further speculation.

Wildlife parks can give some people, especially children, a connection to big animals they would never see in the wild, this can instil a desire and understanding with the natural world far away and by effect be part of their drive to help contribute to conservation. (And I say this as a life long vegetarian - I would ban horse racing/greyhound racing before wildlife parks)

But thats true of all of us. Should we all be prevented from buying alcohol because some people harm themselves and others by drink driving? Perhaps your independence needs to be curtailed incase you decide to engage in risky sex or snort cocaine or take up an extreme sport? Because bad stuff can happen to non-disabled people too. Or what if tomorrow you get sepsis and lose a leg? Should your freedom to make decisions about your life be taken away at the same time?

That enclosure has been there 15 years, it’s not to open at all, a tiger has never escaped. No one could accidentally trip and fall in to the enclosure. The enclosure is fine and built for purpose but as with everything if someone wants to find a way to do something they usually do

Massive difference. A NT person can make a (bad but) informed choice about those things. A learning disabled person can’t.

That happened like 2 months ago!

@Papyrophile

I did start responding to you sensibly, and then saw your post re asylums and lost all sensible words to offer you - so deleted it.

Thanks for being so horrendously candid, though.

I know this is a very small point in your post but just to point out a lot of older teens and adults with autism wear headphones, even when they’re not actually listening to anything, as a form of less visible ear defenders. My teenage son with autism rarely ever removes his AirPods for this reason. As a young child he had those huge ear defenders but he grew very conscious of them as he’s got older. He even has it written in as part of his ehcp that he can wear his AirPods at school when necessary- he is at an autism specific specialist school - which is linked to an electronic device kept under teachers lock that plays a pre selected soundtrack if he wishes or he can just have them silent.

How very gracious of you. 🙄

Do you seriously not know the difference between the terms neurotypical, neuodiverse and learning disabled? Embarrassing.

You can be nt or nd or disabled without having learning difficulties. You should probably remember that when your calling for nd and disabled people to be deprived of their liberty.

You know what I meant.