I think the 'selfish' label is unfair - anyone who tries to commit suicide, as many have pointed out, don't usually think rationally about the people who find them.
But, I must admit, if I were one of the parents whose children had witnessed that, I don't think I'd be quite so understanding. They are the ones who have to try to explain what was in the mind of someone who tried to die in so violent a manner, they're the ones who have to deal with the nightmares or trauma or questions.
It's easy to stand back and think 'selfish vs ill' but when you're in the thick of it - whether it's as the person trying to end their life/cry for help, or as an unwilling witness, it's not so clear cut. My DH best friend committed suicide by hanging. He went to a field a long way from home to save his family the pain. Of course, he caused pain, untold trauma and guilt for the farmer who found him (who told the police that, if only he'd checked the field earlier he'd have saved him. He's had to try to live with that guilt even though it was never his fault and no-one ever 'blamed' him. If it hadn't been his field, it would have been somewhere else).
My heart goes out to both the man's family (who now have to try to help him pick up the pieces) and to the families who witnessed it (who also have pieces to pick up).
If you're going to keep animals locked up, then make sure the locks (cages) are keeping them in and others out.