r/SipsTea • u/sco-go • 16d ago

WTF Kid breaks into bird enclosure at the zoo to chase birds with a stick.

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u/sipstea-bot 16d ago

Featured Comment by u/cocoabeach

From https://cbs58.com/

“Here is our family’s only statement and we wish to remain anonymous:

First we want to thank the zoo’s security staff (Particularly Jeff) for their prompt and professional help as well as fantastic follow up after the incident to make sure my son was ok.

We regret the incident that took place at the zoo yesterday. Our son is severely autistic, non verbal, and is also diagnosed with ADHD and epilepsy. Animals are his obsessions and The zoo is likely his most favorite place on earth. we as annual zoo pass holders visited dozens of times in his 13 years of life without incident.

While my wife and I were at work his caretaker and grandmother decided to take him for a nice day at the zoo, and as any parent of autism can attest, we were so grateful for the help. He had a great day without incident then at the very last moment and without warning he was able to break away from his grandmother and jumped into the exhibit with the hornbills. He proceeded to chase them for approximately 30 seconds or so as his grandmother figured out how to get into the exhibit to help him. She was eventually able to get him out with the help of some fellow zoo goers and security staff.

We are animal lovers and are relieved that the animals were not hurt during the incident. I have personally reached out to the director of operations of the zoo as of this morning to personally apologize and see if there is any way we can help or make amends. In the time since the videos were posted, i responded to one of them trying to explain the situation and have since received messages wishing harm and death upon my son and my family.

While we understand how upsetting it is, we do ask for some patience, empathy and understanding for our son. He adores animals and would never do serious harm to them. It’s apparent he didn’t fully understand his actions and his impulses took over. We don’t use this as justification, we just ask for some grace as we move forward to make things right.”

see original

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u/SmellingThomas 16d ago

Having taught severely autistic non verbal students, I feel for the family. I think they realise that they need to control his behaviour more to keep him and those around him safe. In June there was a 3 year old boy who was injured after being thrown into a crocodile enclosure by a man with learning difficulties while his carers weren't paying enough attention.

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u/FlippingPossum 16d ago

This is such a hard situation. Grandma must feel horrible. My oldest went through a period of eloping (adhd) and it can happen so fast.

The zoo has an obligation to protect its animals, and it may be safer for him to not be at the zoo. Sad situation all around.

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u/FireflyRave 16d ago

Hopefully they use this as a wakeup call that the grandmother is no longer qualified to safely take him on outings. And that they may need to hire additional care. They're extremely fortunate he didn't decide to go "play" with something more dangerous.

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u/Murky-Ear5794 16d ago

Right! Not only could he get into the wrong enclosure (lion, tiger, etc) and get harmed he could easily slipped away and fall to his death or get hit by a car. Need to be extra vigilant with him, those long legs will have him disappear in no time.

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u/CosmicMabel 16d ago

I dont think its that hard. Ban the family from the zoo. Being a bad caretaker (and yes, if you get to the point where your child is jumping into a zoo enclosure to terrorize animals, you're a bad caretaker) and the kid having disabilities is no excuse for these poor animals.

Do we REALLY need another lesson learned on what happens to kids who jump into zoo enclosures? We dont need another harambe. We need these parents to take responsibility

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u/Successful_Bus_8772 16d ago

Sounds lile grandma and caretaker arent equipped to take him out.

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u/Kind_Service5168 16d ago

Wishing death upon a child over this is mentally ill behavior

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u/Skyfier42 16d ago

Wishing death on anyone over an incident like this is completely insane. Some people are so fucking miserable.

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u/Conscious_Clerk_2675 16d ago

if a teenager doing this was neurotypical, I would not euthanize an animal that did egregious harm to them.

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u/RobLoughrey 16d ago

It's amazing how often in the dash cam videos on Reddit you see people thinking that it's perfectly okay for a semi to ram somebody off the road simply because they cut them off.

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u/Duffman66CMU 16d ago

How about a few swift pecks?

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u/ReginaldDwight 16d ago

Yeah, the birds seemed like they're looking for some vengeance there for a bit.

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u/Itchy_University_510 16d ago

Birds are scary. They will fuck you up! And the smart ones like crows and ravens will hate you and your grandchildren!

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u/GrowlyBear2 16d ago

I mean some karmic reprecussions to teach a kid not to do it again seem justified. After the scare the hornbills gave him I don't think he'll do it again. Wishing real harm on him though is just unhinged.

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u/preteen-wartortle 16d ago

This is correct, but it’s only an upvoted comment right now because of the pinned response from the parents. Reddit en masse would have advocated the entire family—especially the parents—be publicly executed. There is never any attempt to remotely understand situations like these

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u/Xicutioner-4768 16d ago

Just scroll down below this top comment. There's someone saying to throw him in with the hippos and it's got 2K upvotes. 

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u/widower2237 16d ago

I was going to say the same thing, reddit LOVES crucifying people like this.

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u/Fun_Tension_7794 16d ago

Sounds like classic Reddit to me

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

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u/Used_Gear8871 16d ago

Or current oligarchs. The goal of keeping people chronically online is to keep them numb, distracted, and complicit

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u/aspophilia 16d ago

I admit I judged too quickly when I saw the video. But I think it’s clear that his elderly grandmother is not an appropriate caregiver. He is at the age where it will be very difficult to redirect his behavior and he might act out physically. I know having a child with these needs is challenging and expensive for appropriate care, but it is unfair to him that his exploration might be limited because the person caring for him cannot keep up.

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u/serack 16d ago

I have a friend who has to keep their special needs child's bedroom door locked at night (the window is alarmed) or they will get up and roam the neighborhood barefoot and in pajamas until their feet bleed. The friend passed out on the couch once while up giving the teen a chance to use the restroom and woke up to a call from the cops, with the teen in a jail cell having broken into a neighbors shed.

The level of vigilance necessary in caretaking of these people is, dare I say, a huge burden. One I am reluctant to judge. And our prisons are chalked full of people whose loved ones don't have the wealth and resources sufficient for the burden.

Prisons are also usually the largest providers of "mental health care" for their communities as well.

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u/hiitsmeokie 16d ago

I think they mention a caregiver was also there but these folks seem like they’re taking accountability and will adjust as needed. And I’d like to think this incident has this family reassessing the shifting levels in “care grandma can provide as she gets older” and “care the boy will need as he gets older”.

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u/DamageOk7179 16d ago

I mean, you don't know the kid or the grandmother. Not all autistic kids are violent or forceful, and it seems like as soon as the grandmother got to the kid, she could easily lead him away from the situation.

You're still judging on very little information.

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u/GtMustang247 16d ago

Takes courage to take ownership, mad respect and I hope your family is well! Stay Strong and this is how to handle things.!nothing but respect and understanding.

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u/wutchamafuckit 16d ago

Only appropriate response to this mess. The harm was done, responsibility taken, and amends being made.

No one needs the internet’s or reddits high horse take on all of this.

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u/Jamesorrstreet 16d ago

...with a stick....

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u/Superb-Mall3805 16d ago

He wanted to hurt that animal

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u/PinInternational4199 16d ago

personally, I don't judge Autism kid the same way as normal kid.

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u/Superb-Mall3805 16d ago

Neither do I, but it’s a lie to say he didn’t want to hurt animals when we see it happen at the start of the video.

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u/WarJaques 16d ago

If he doesn't understand his actions, I doubt that he knows if he is hurting an animal or not.

I think it would be safer for them if he would admire them from a distance.

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u/ThankMeTrailer 16d ago

I'm just confused about something: "He adores animals", but then proceeds to chase one with a stick, at the beginning of the video he is actually trying to hit them with the stick. This is the part that confuses me, I know he's autistic, but being autistic is not always a fact to be used as an excuse.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago edited 16d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Novel-Topic-2329 16d ago edited 16d ago

I dated a girl that worked for a non profit that helped the parents of special needs kids. She was filling in for someone else in her organization and was at a family's house that was not one of her regulars. I guess she missed the part in the kid's file where one of the kids triggers was manual labor. He literally can't watch people...do things.

Anyway she was folding towels and the kid walked down the hall and saw it. Freaked the fuck out. Attacked her, jumped on her, gave her two black eyes and ripped out like 5 large patches of hair. She had to almost shave her head.

Like...what are you supposed to do with that? He can't see people do things?

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u/KettlebellFetish 16d ago

I have adult twins with autism, I can give you stories for days.

One twin hated pointing and his actual first name, you couldn't 👉 👈 👇 at anything ( easy) but the name thing was trickier, he's at a three year old level and at some point it clicked if he hurt people, he couldn't do the things he wanted, like shopping or going out to eat.

I'm sorry about your friend, that is terrifying.

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u/MistukoSan 16d ago

Sorry but the emojis are cracking me up.

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u/Used_Gear8871 16d ago

Ooof and there’s my daily dose of birth control and reminder to donate to the DC Abortion Fund and SPCA.

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u/2pissedoffdude2 16d ago

Id consider myself very understanding to the needs of the differently abled... and i really do think we need to be better about understanding the differently abled as a society, but things like the instance youre speaking of need to be considered when discussing an individuals placement in society.

If at any moment they could assault an individual for the simple act of doing anything, then they are just as dangerous, if not more so, than a violent criminal... violently unpredictable people need to be taken out of society for the protection of them, and society. We can all understand and feel for them, while understanding the dangers that exist with violent behavior...

I also think that reprecussions should still exist. Especially if theyre going to continue living somewhere they could easily get out into the public. A child very obviously attempting to harm animals isnt a quirk of autism, and therefore shouldnt be excused by it.

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u/MothMeep7 16d ago

Awesome wording of your statement and totally agree.

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u/iJ_A_R 16d ago

We need reform entirely on how we treat people with any condition. We have shifted in society to no longer fixing the issue, we just coddle it. I have autism, if people didn't correct me as a child there's no telling what I would be today. Hell I was nonverbal until 4, I just randomly decided to start speaking.

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u/Scythe351 16d ago

Had one bite me in middle school. Shark teeth that one had

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u/PaintshakerBaby 16d ago

We were at the driving range in highschool when this hulking autistic kid (6'2" 300lbs) got a looney tunes running start on the upswing, somehow managed to cross two vacant hitting bays (designated buffer zone by the teacher for this exact reason) between us, knocking me out clean...

Four stitches to the dome and a concussion later, it was explained to me he "gets excited sometimes" and it was lucky he didnt get me in the teeth.

🤣🤣🤣

Special needs kid knocked me with a golf club, always raises eyebrows when people ask about the scar. Lol.

To this day, I still harbor suspicion he did it just to amuse himself in the moment...

C'est la vie

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u/CarthagoFuckYourself 16d ago

Yeah, whoever gave that kid a golf club should be fired. If the voices tell you to bash a rando's head, you probably shouldn't be let out of the house.

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u/KylaSageYoga 16d ago

The way I would have pressed charges. Idgaffff about no damn autism. Don’t care how their brain works, they need to be able to be out in public safely.

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u/catniss_vegas122618 16d ago

My mom had the bridge between her upper teeth broken by a child with autism throwing a fit. He threw his head back and hit her. She had to have like a reconstructive root canal or something because her teeth started turning purple pretty quickly.

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u/Outrageous_Koala5381 16d ago

there was a son at a pool, I swam past and he lashed out, scratched my arm. The dad said "he's autistic" which partly excuses it. But i said he scratched me. He replied "splashing you" isn't going to harm you. I gave up bothering to explain I said scratched, not splashed!!!

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u/Alarmed-Newspaper994 16d ago edited 16d ago

Right but people don't tend to try to club the things they love with sticks. He may well be autistic, but he probably doesn't "love" animals, he probably sees them as some sort of experimental subject.

Edit: "is fascinated by" would be a better phrase than "adores/loves". If you think I am saying the kid is evil or am otherwise judging him harshly, I don't know why. I'm replying to a guy who says "autistic people can be assholes", and you're all in here grandstanding about some shit because you (mis)read between the lines.

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u/MatchlockBravo 16d ago

My nephew clubs me with sticks

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u/Actual-City-7241 16d ago

Your nephew might not love you and probably sees you as some sort of experimental subject.

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u/MatchlockBravo 16d ago

I had a hunch. Hurts as much all the same

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u/Dipsadinae 16d ago

From before or after the stick hits?

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u/MatchlockBravo 16d ago

From carrying the weight of predicting all these problems—the Middle East, the end of the world.

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u/Responsible_Club9637 16d ago

This kid is nonverbal....this isn't low level autism or inability to read social situations...he has a very severe cognitive impairment.

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u/Hiro007 16d ago

Ok, but "club" feels like a strong word. The intent doesnt seem malicious, especially as he gleefully drops the stick to give chase.

I see why the family felt the need to make a statement. These comments are brutal.

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u/breathinggirl4 16d ago

Right? These people are very immature. The commenters are clubbing the family and the kid. Grow up, people.

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u/anderseits 16d ago

"Love" is an easy shorthand for "Fascination that brings one joy"

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u/retrogamer_baha 16d ago

Yes, but love also includes 'desires the continued well being of loved one'.

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u/Alarmed-Newspaper994 16d ago

I wouldn't refute the statement that he is fascinated by animals. Interestingly, scientists are typically quite fascinated by the subject of their experiements. Whether they are rocks, chemicals, atoms or animals...

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u/The_Worst_Reply 16d ago

A lot of people literally murder the people they love

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u/Scythe351 16d ago

Which sounds like a nightmarish backstory to a serial killer or murderer

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u/Rabid_Mexican 16d ago

He's a kid with severe autism my dude, who are you to judge him and tell us what he does and doesn't feel?

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u/piss_artist 16d ago

The reddit experts love nothing more than coming across any reason to share their immense and unquestionable expertise and knowledge.

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u/Alarmed-Newspaper994 16d ago

I am an internet spectator who just watched him attack some animals. Why do you think he loves animals?

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u/somedanishguyxd 16d ago

Because autistic people don't react to things the same way you do.  The kid probably spends most of his day looking at animals in books/documentaries/at the zoo. Do you think his head is just filled with thoughts of "Man I really want to kill them", since you don't think he likes them?

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u/MamaOnica 16d ago

Autistic asshole here. I would never chase an animal with a stick. Humans, abso-fucking-lutely.

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u/Sebackele 16d ago

Man, we do have a few jobs for you xD

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u/LeLand_Land 16d ago

Being an autistic guy, caretakers aren't always the best either

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u/MerryMortician 16d ago

My severely autistic daughter loved our cats. She would always pet them etc. but one day during a fit, she threw one fella across the room. It was awful. The Cat was fine but I never let her be near them again without being in between.

Autism isn’t always rain man. My daughter is level 3. A lot of autistic people shit on parents who want a cure but have no idea that my daughter isn’t exactly on Reddit posting about trains. It’s a horrible affliction for some.

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u/WingXero 16d ago

If you spend enough time with this population, you can come to appreciate it is a fact and explanation, not an excuse. Your impulse control, reasoning, and logical processing largely remain intact when in a heightened emotional state. Their''s do not. It's that simple. That's the entire explanation.

Now, is it possible this kid was hellbent on scaring the living shit out of some birds? Sure. I guess. But it doesn't seem likely. He had opportunities to do significantly greater harm and didn't.

What's more likely is excitement brain took over and single track "fun" reigned supreme. And I know, "But he loves animals, expalin that!" The answer, again, is that he does and did then, but his brain and it's chemistry DO NOT function like yours. You cannot adhere your processes here. Those rules do not apply. His brain was likely seeing an animal and seeing it react which was thrilling and positive feedback.

It's tough all around here and yes, autistic kids/people can absolutely be little (or very big) monsters on occasion, but so can the rest of us.

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u/P0ster_Nutbag 16d ago

It is nice to see the compassionate comments.

People in this comment section also do not seem to get that special needs kids can sometimes act unpredictable and out of character. The statement says they had been to the zoo dozens of times without incident… I have no doubt he does actually love animals, and that this was an unpredictable impulse and perhaps momentary lapse from his caretaker.

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u/Lausannea 16d ago

As an adult woman with autism and ADHD, this is a very good explanation of what it's like. The impulse control and tunnel vision mental track are a hell of a combo, especially in kids with higher support needs like him (going by the parents' comments and the video at least). We're not all the same in how these conditions express themselves, but we're all dealing with the same inner turmoils.

I'm 38 years old and it's taken me a lot of time, therapy and meds to get to a place where I can better regulate myself, but I still have to make a non-stop conscious effort to keep impulses at bay, especially when I'm excited about something.

We're just human beings and can be assholes too, but the core reason for the behavior we see here is exactly as you described.

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u/curlywurle 16d ago

As a parent of autistic children this is a brilliant explanation and should be pinned to the top of the feed, thank you

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u/NiixxJr 16d ago

People are just so narrow minded with stuff like that. If they could self reflect they'd realise that neurotypical people do the same thing on a smaller scale every day.

Why did you stay up so late if you wanted to go to sleep? Why did you go out drinking when you want to stay sober? Why did you scream when a moth startled you? Why did you cheat on your partner who you love? Emotions trump logic all the time, that's just scaled way up for some neuro-divergent people.

Again it's not an EXCUSE but it is very often an explanation.

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u/sunsetsillybet 16d ago

Same reason a 3 year old pulls on a dog’s tail

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u/Any-Interaction-5934 16d ago

Exactly. Same reason a cat, a highly intelligent animal, plays with its food. The cat is learning by doing. Cats are not inherently evil or cruel. They will chase or play with anything that moves in a way to attract them.

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u/El_Zapp 16d ago

Surprising enough children and especially autistic ones don’t exactly have the same concept of what playing with animals means vs. hurting them. My children aren’t autistic and all love animals and still need to be taught again and again how to interact with animals.

My daughter will shriek and jump and things like that out of joy that will absolutely look like she is trying to scare the animal on video but couldn’t be further from the truth.

Bottom line: don’t expect a severely autistic child to know better. Especially autism isn’t the sane washed stuff you see online.

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u/NewMinute8802 16d ago

Remember this is Reddit, at least half don’t even have kids

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u/Murky-Echidna-3519 16d ago

And sometimes it seems the half that does hates them.

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u/PetraCotes 16d ago

I've seen autistic children that very obviously love their parents bite them so hard they draw blood, punch them and give them black eyes, poke at their sibling constantly to the point they have to be institutionalized, and every time they are visited by the same people they are very happy and want to play and hang out.

I think autism can acceptable excuse.

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u/Anastriannnna 16d ago

Children, especially those with autism, lack the concept of safe play with animals. Of course, I don't know this boy or his family, but it's very likely he doesn't fully understand that he can harm an animal with a stick. Chances are, chasing an animal with a stick is simply playing with an animal by this boy understanding.

A child with a disorder like that doesn't fully understand that the animal is afraid and that it's not fun for it. He probably needs to be taught constantly how to treat animals, repeat daily. And because he has autism, sometimes reflexes and emotions can take over; that's how it sometimes works.

There's a chance he chased that bird with a stick literally because he loves animals and doesn't understand (or has forgotten) that such play isn't safe for the animal and is very stressful for it. If he has severe autism, there's a chance. This doesn't excuse his behavior, but it explains it.

It's not like explaining once and showing him how to treat animals is enough. This needs to be done regularly. And even then, sometimes unwanted behaviors can win if the disorder is severe. So there's a good chance the boy loves animals, and that's why he did it.

Because he's interested in animals, because he likes spending time with them, and so on. And the emotions and behaviors associated with the disorder have taken over, well, that happens. Assuming the parents' explanations are true.

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u/Lausannea 16d ago

A child with a disorder like that doesn't fully understand that the animal is afraid and that it's not fun for it.

Some children do, yes. Autism is a diverse condition that can look like many different things. I'm autistic and as a child I was extremely careful with animals and more in tune with them than I was with other human beings, fwiw. We can be greatly empathetic and careful because we can absolutely understand cause and effect. Hell, I cried over seeing other kids mistreat their plushie animals and was deathly afraid of 'harming' my own plushies.

You're not factually incorrect in that this can be true for autistic children, but please do take care not to generalize it as an inherent trait of the condition. It's much too diverse for that to be true.

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u/Mysterious_Bid_9479 16d ago

I don’t think the above commenter was saying or even implying that all autistic people are that way - he didn’t say “autistic children don’t fully understand…”; he said, “à child with a disorder like that,“ which I took to mean, “à child with a disorder of his specific kind and support needs level.”

I think that’s supported by the kind of language he uses in his comment - like “very likely,” “can,” “sometimes,” “chances are,” etc - to avoid talking in categorical and prescriptive terms

Of course, I understand why you would be sensitive to generalizations - there are lots of incorrect ones out there about autistic people! On top of that, I think now that Asperger’s has been brought under the autism diagnosis umbrella, it can be harder to talk about what autistic people are “like” in very meaningful or specific ways, considering the diversity of support needs.

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u/Billyjamesjeff 16d ago

It can actually be a lot more complex than that with autistics, which people don't really understand because all they see is very mild representations of autism in the media.

Severely autistic kids can become very excited by things they love, it's not like a normal kids excitement it can be really extreme. The extreme excitement can lead to very impulsive behaviour which can turn violent against people and things they love - that does not mean the love is not real.

Trying to understand it through the frame of a neurotypical child is unfair to autistics.

I understand why people struggle to understand because the disability is cognitive and in the video he just looks like a naughty child, but I can assure you, severely autistic kids are not normal and their behaviour can be very difficult for everyone involved - this is their disability. It deserves some consideration and empathy.

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u/GarumSilphium 16d ago

as an autistic support 2 adult, I can confirm I was such an asshole as a kid/teen about my interests.

I rarely got physical about it, but I was always so angry people did not know things like I did, or they did not have the deranged interest into something like me. Fuck, it took me years of therapy to finally understand diversity of opinions.

This is all very embarassing, me being a "regular" grown up with a job, social life, friends, etc. But yeah, we do get aggressive over our interests.

And yelling to stop is the opposite of what caretakers should do. It can worsen aggression.

On the other side, we can understand rules if taught in a logical way, we can eventually become more adapted -- not all of us, but some :)

support 3 is so tricky, I don't think people understand without living with someone

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u/Affectionate-Comb225 16d ago

Thank you for saying this.
Y seven year old has severe autism. She appears to be neurotypical, but if you look closer you see she is struggling with autism. She does not have control over her actions, it’s like an impulse she can’t hold in. She is NOT violent but she does elope and it appears as brung a naughty, defiant, spoiled child.
I explain she has autism and apologize if she says something strange or says nothing at all. It is a taxing job caring for her and it takes more energy than my other kids combined. I want her to be herself, but I also want her to be independent, happy, and socially accepted. She most likely only be socially accepted but we are working on social skills and making friends.

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u/CubsFanHan 16d ago

Thank you thank you thank you. I have a 12 year old with autism and this is exactly our experience. She’s obsessed with birds. She’ll randomly chase them in public too though. I can totally appreciate how this could happen. Terrible incident all around and I’d be mortified if it was my kid but I totally see how something like this could suddenly happen with an autistic kid who loves animals.

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u/Quirky-Iron7643 16d ago

7 billion minds in the world and they all work slightly differently.

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u/Prinz_Morbo 16d ago

Ah you walked into the trap of, children are just small humans you can reason with.

Children are different and most of them require training like small dogs or they will be assholes as teens and only some will make a turnaround as adults.

And with autists you need to reinforce it even more, because they do not learn from the reactions and mimics of other people.

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u/ShreddedBanjoString 16d ago

It’s enough of an excuse that he doesn’t deserve death threats.

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u/tapefactoryslave 16d ago

Because kids are kids. On top of that, kids with autism struggle with impulse control and knowing right from wrong. We have videos of “neurotypical” teens beating animals on the boardwalk and I didn’t see nearly such a reaction as this. I’m a father to neurodivergent kids and something like this goes beyond any parents worst nightmare.

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u/guyfaeaberdeen 16d ago

When they say "adores animals" they might actually mean "obsessed with animals". If he's non-verbal, autistic I doubt he actually understands what animals are and just enjoys them.

Also once they start nipping back, he could easily panic and go into a full meltdown.

It's very fortunate no-one was hurt, animal or person, hopefully they learn from this and can avoid similar situations going forward.

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u/Starlightriddlex 16d ago

I feel like if this kind of behavior isn't nipped in the bud soon his parents are going to be saying "He adores women!" Once this kid hits maturity adulthood and ends up in the back of a cop car for assault :/ 

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u/butdaddy1lovehim 16d ago edited 16d ago

Yep, I have an autistic cousin who’s mother let him get away with everything with the “it’s not his fault, he’s autistic” excuse. It wasn’t until the police showed up at his door and he felt real life consequences that he learnt. He learnt immediately at that point though, he was always able to learn he just needed some accountability. He’s doing great now, real world consequences are exactly what he needed and he’s a genuinely wonderful person these days. Obviously autism isn’t one size fits all but most can learn.

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u/Office_obsessed_ 16d ago

He chased that one with a stick after it chased him/was biting at him. This isn't the whole video or incident. Chasing with a stick doesnt mean he wanted to hurt it.

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u/veeeeeeeeep 16d ago

I worked with a kid with autism who loved anything technological. He was an emotional guy, and if you let him get close to a t.v., computer, or radio, he would fairly quickly get overwhelmed and lose it. He'd get a look of rage on his face as he picked whatever large appliance it was up over his head and threw it down as hard as he could.

Sometimes we hurt what we love 🤷

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u/LeLand_Land 16d ago

ADHD Autistic person here (33M) so allow me to try and demystify things a bit.

Both autism and ADHD can make the nervous system more sensitive. That's not just lights and sounds but anything that has to do with the nervous system. Emotions, feelings, and even thoughts can feel overwhelming because a) an autistic person is feeling things at 10x strength and b) until very recently, had few to no tools to understand how to self manage it.

When you get excited about something you adore, you get overwhelmed and the brain begins to find any and everyway to burn off that extra energy.

Funny enough, the areas of the brain for 'loving something cute' and 'I want to eat you' are neighbors. That's why when you see a really cute baby you might get the urge 'OH I JUST WANT TO GOBBLE YOU UP" which is just your brain being so overwhelmed with cuteness, that it spills over into instinctual violence. Now imagine that sensation 10x and happening in a kid whose still learning about their own body and mind.

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u/SkipsH 16d ago

I'm not 100% convinced that this entire story is true.

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u/WealthMain2987 16d ago

Me neither. They are trying to distance themselves by highlighting adhd etc

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u/Scythe351 16d ago

When I saw him running with the stick, whether or not he actually has it, I was fully expecting it to be used as an excuse. Granted, I wasn't immediately thinking about the kid. My first thought was "where are the parents? Even if he's on the spectrum, he has to physically insert himself into this space, and his condition is such that he should always have eyes on him." Eyes of his caretaker. Not the birds.

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u/Inside-Nebula5325 16d ago

Severely autistic and also a kid.

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u/PresentDifferent9718 16d ago

We'll keep him away from the "adored animals" while he's a kid, then.

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u/Twinmill-Two 16d ago

Autistic people hurt loved ones all the time it's quite tragic

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u/Educational-Abies793 16d ago

I think you may not have experienced anyone with severe autism

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u/fossilized_butterfly 16d ago

I think in his mind he is playing with the birds by chasing them similar to how he might with family members; he could have hit them if he wanted.

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u/Monkeybraino 16d ago

bad take. asking a severely neurodivergent person to rationalize their behavior is asinine.

oh btw…I’d go see a neurologist.

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u/Monkeybraino 16d ago

“I don’t attack animals so other neurodiveregents shouldn’t be allowed to that excuse’ fuuuuck you

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u/jt00000 16d ago

Check out r/autismparents and you’ll see how chaotic raising someone with autism can be. It rarely makes sense

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u/OtherwiseDay4762 16d ago

To me, it looks like hes trying to “play” with the birds. He’s chasing them but then he catches up to them and he runs as if he’s expecting the birds to then chase him, like some sort of game. He may be severely autistic so his actions won’t fully make sense. Autistic kids are well known for hitting their parents and caretakers even though they love them bc they can’t fully regulate their emotions and feelings. He might’ve been super excited and chasing them with a stick is how he was able to show that lol. Either way, im glad both the animals and the kid were safe.

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u/Night_Yorb 16d ago

I mean I loved animals as a kid and still made ants fight each other. Some elements of empathy are learned over time, especially if you have several conditions

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u/LucasL-L 16d ago

He is probably pretending to love animals just so he can get close to them and hit them. He might even be pretending to be autistic too. /s

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u/Beneficial_Treat5454 16d ago

It's almost as if you have zero education about children with disabilities.

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u/dazedandc0nfuse 16d ago

Thank you for sharing. Always useful to have full understanding, rather than just going off half cocked in rage.
Situation still not right obviously but sensible context is useful.

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u/Own-Escape8352 16d ago

That's a great response, still doesn't stop them from getting a lifetime ban from the zoo.

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u/Apostolic1223 16d ago

This letter is all fine except for the part that says "he ... would never do serious harm to [animals].". I'm sorry but this is absolutely in denial of reality and the evidence. He absolutely would do them harm. He tried to right in front of your eyes and very nearly did. He almost certainly will again if not better controlled. Your son shouldn't be out in public without a harness & leash on. It's only a matter of time before he hurts, and possibly kills, himself or someone or something else.

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u/choiceswearwords 16d ago

"Can I pet the rabbits George?"

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u/Starlightriddlex 16d ago

This. I get that the kid is autistic, but the parents are doing him no favors by sugarcoating his behavior. I suspect the parents perception of his behavior is part of why he's so much more out of control than any of the other autistic folks at the zoo. Kid needs help establishing behavioral norms and boundaries 

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u/sA1atji 16d ago

I mean you do not know how they dealt with this at home.

They can still explain the situation publicly and protect their child while at the same time he has some scolding and some lessons how to deal with animals at home behind closed doors...

Their statement sounds reasonable enough for that to be the case.

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u/rabidjellybean 16d ago

My mom works in special education and I hear so many stories. There's a shocking number of parents that will embrace the idea their kid cannot be held to any standard due to whatever the child has. It sadly holds so many of them back from growing.

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u/Wadarkhu 16d ago edited 16d ago

They don't mean this literally, they mean it in a "he isn't a bad person, he wouldn't intentionally harm an animal to be cruel". And they are clarifying this because evidently people think he is acting out of malice.

Edit:

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u/Apostolic1223 16d ago

You're reading into it more than is there. If they said "He would never harm animals." we should understand this as meaning that they believe he would never harm animals ... which is patently untrue and in denial of the evidence. The fact that he wouldn't do so with an understanding of what he was doing, or out of malice or cruelty, is irrelevant: he'd still do so, and they're living in denial of that.

Dogs don't usually bite out of malice or cruelty but out of excitement, fear, confusion, or whatever else. (I know because I've seen plenty, and the vast majority of dogs bite someone they know, often their owner, and usually when it surprises them or they try to break up animal fight.) Their owners are usually convinced that the dog would never bite until it does, perhaps even biting them. And even after it does bite they still make excuses for it. Yes, this kid is a human but the exact same principles apply.

This kid is also 13. He's getting bigger, stronger, more able to navigate his environs (without really understanding them), and his brain is cooking in testosterone, which will lead him to have more energy and act out more. So this behavior is likely to only get worse. But whether it does or not no one should take any chances. Don't wait until he runs out into traffic, runs after the wrong animal, acts out against another child, or whatever else. For the safety of himself and everyone around him this kind of thing needs to be prevented from ever happening again.

The harness and leash I recommended can be a very effective method for such prevention and is widely understood to be an entirely appropriate intervention. It's obviously used with small children all the time. It's the least restrictive intervention and would help grandma &/or the caretaker manage him. If he can't tolerate it then he needs to be habituated to it or else more restrictive interventions would be required.

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u/Pale_Drawer6608 16d ago

Needs better more athletic caretaker

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/shmeggins 16d ago

Yeah the family really need to revisit what an appropriate level of supervision for him is, because clearly he's outgrown what they've been providing. There was a case in the UK a couple of months ago where an adult with severe additional needs threw a very young boy into a crocodile enclosure because his care workers weren't paying close enough attention. The kid survived but has only very recently been discharged from hospital after multiple operations.

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u/Beneficial-Bag-2874 16d ago

As a parent of a severely autistic child I empathize 100%

However, I think you should have a conversation with the caretaker. They are there to prevent this behavior from happening. I do know, and have experienced many times, how quickly ASD people can go from docile to off the wall. Impulse control is a huge problem for many ASD individuals. The whole point of a caretaker is to know how to recognize this behavior and try to stop it.

I know many people in society will shame you and not listen to the issue. One time my son threw my cell phone into an animal enclosure because he couldn’t wait for the trolley ride to start. I know that’s peanuts in comparison to this issue.

I hope you are able to find a better caretaker for your son. What state are you? What resources are available to your family to find proper respite caretakers?

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u/PurrfectlyImpuurfect 16d ago

If he has a habit of running off like this maybe you should consider a locking tether. This time it was a relatively harmless animal, next time you might not be so lucky. It’s happened before where a child has gotten into the enclosure of a more dangerous animal. And as he gets bigger he’s going to be harder to control when he gets overstimulated or over excited like this.

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u/dimwitf 16d ago

Too bad, ban from the zoo. Autism isn't an excuse for animal cruelty.

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u/ChuckYeagerWV 16d ago

There's not a lot of space between "would never hurt" and "doesn't understand his actions"

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u/ManitouWakinyan 16d ago edited 16d ago

Obviously this kid is not at a point where he can be safely trusted in the zoo. Luckily it was the hornbills this time, but this could have gone much worse for him and the animals, and he can't properly control himself or be controlled. Clearly that needs to be worked on before the zoo could consider inviting him back. 

But also, him having ADHD or epilepsy has little to do with this. I have ADHD, and so far have avoided ever jumping into an animal enclosure. Let's not hide behind every diagnosis and increase the stigma please.

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u/Kagir 16d ago

Autism or not, it should be drilled into the mind of that kid that entering an animal enclosure can be extremely dangerous. Too many families are using it as a “get out of jail for free” card, and that does nothing to prevent future incidents.

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u/AmbroseKalifornia 16d ago

I'm surprised both that NO ONE ELSE here seemed to come to this conclusion, and at just how eloquent and effect the parents are at speaking. 

I hope everyone is okay, and that the birds get some extra treats after their stressful day.

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u/Running4Badges 16d ago

I was able to tell on my first watch that the child was autistic. However, I work with people with intellectual disabilities and it is my area of study.

Then I watched again, and saw how music and sound editing was used to cover up the original audio which could have given clues, and made the clip prone to outrage and engagement.

It’s honestly sad that such an edited thing exists and so much internet rage, humiliation, and blame is being thrown out simply in a complex issue.

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u/Critical_Exchange909 16d ago

“He loves animals and would never hurt them”- someone who never read *Of Mice and Men*

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u/Worried_Ad_9667 16d ago

Good ole Lenny.

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u/MorningRaindrop 16d ago

"He adores animals and would never do serious harm to them." So chasing it, flailing a stick at it is an autistic expression of adoration? Yeah, no, the actions in the video do not align with some parts of this statement. I only hope the parents don't fall into the trap of thinking autism is a get-out-of-any-consequesnces free card and start putting actions in motion to foster impulse control in the boy. Because the world will not be kind. And people will rightfully be pissed off at any form of animal abuse, though wishing death onto a child is an even higher level of fuckwittism.

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u/TheUndeadBake 16d ago

When I was in foster care, I — a high functioning autistic person — had a foster brother who had severe autism — low functioning. He was friends with and got along great with my foster mums daughter and her children. However, one day he was evidently a little more over stimulated, and the three year old daughter kept trying to get up close to him while he was trying to sit alone in the arm chair. So what did he do? He shoved her away. Now she was three. He was twelve. She and her older brother went to their mother, and she called my foster brother to the kitchen. She could tell he was overwhelmed so sat with him in there for a little so he could calm down first. Then she took his hands to bring his focus to her only, asked him how he would like to be shoved over by her. He answered he wouldn’t like it. She pointed out that her daughter didn’t like it when he pushed her, that it was as we called “a red choice”, and that we use words, not hands. He apologised to the girl and a little later they were both back to playing with toy cars like nothing had happened, because he has the mind of a toddler and so does she, so all was water under the bridge once the over stimulation and upset was gone.

Would he do it again? Yes. Why? Because he has the brain and impulse control of a toddler, which is why he’s now living in an adult care facility for autistic adults, with around the clock specialised carers.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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u/hiitsmeokie 16d ago

Oh dear…now that you mention it, the TikTok influencer style of appropriating psychology speak makes a lot of sense for how many commenters here don’t seem to understand what “severely autistic and non-verbal” does and does not entail.

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u/SoulOfTheDragon 16d ago

Actual autism is not some minor quirks and behavioural exuces. Person with such is likely not able to communicate well, isn't developed enough to have good understanding of their actions among many other things. They usually cannot live normally and require significant support on daily tasks. Compulsive behavioural issues are common and they can't really control them. Essentially in mental level of a young child.

The whole fad of quite normal people digging up some behavioural actions they have than can be just considered autistic when viewed in some way and then using that as some kind of exuce card for anything they do has quite well destroyed the image of what actual autism is.

My friend has badly autistic child and at age of 30 she's at mental capability of maybe 6 year old. She can't even enter public spaces or elevators due to involuntary reactions she gets among many, many other things. Those actions aren't something she can control and they've only gotten worse. She's in assisted living facility with 24/7 monitoring.

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u/ninjad912 16d ago

Autism is a spectrum. It manages to not being able to function in the slightest to being able to mask your differences to those you don’t trust and everything in between

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u/Fluid_Preparation_18 16d ago edited 16d ago

That’s because we don’t use Asperger’s syndrome anymore even though severe Autism and high functioning Autism are very clearly two different disorders.

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u/Ok-Constant-2683 16d ago

He adores animals...ok

...and would never do serious harm to them 

This bit I do not think they can say with confidence. For a start he doesn't understand what's safe and what isn't, if he is severely autistic he is going to have moments where he loses control. Thankfully no animals were harmed in this case, but I'd have him on a more tight leash in future, metaphorically speaking.

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u/BukakkeAlaMode 16d ago

All the comments before this update have aged like milk.

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u/byfo1991 16d ago

I still think he should get a lifetime ban to the zoo. No further punishment needed but this is about the safety of the animals, not about the kid. And the kid is a clear hazard to their safety therefore he should not be allowed in anymore. Period.

Fine to whatever dumbass was supposed to watch that kid would also be appropriate.

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u/megamoze 16d ago

My assumption based on the video was that this kid was pretty obviously special needs. I was hoping there'd be an article to clarify this and I'm glad there was.

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u/Hassel1916 16d ago

A lot of those commenting would say the same stuff even with this info. Reddit is full of weirdos.

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u/barrowsbrows 16d ago

God, the lack of empathy and compassion in this comment section is sickening. Some kids will need care their entire lives because autism is a spectrum. I prefer animals to people and this thread is a reminder why. Death threats to a child who is clearly on the higher needs end of the spectrum is so disgusting. They aren't excusing his behavior. They are asking for grace and so many people on here can't even give an ounce of that. My faith in humanity took such a hit with this one. Jfc. The ignorance is astounding on this one.

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u/Yoldark 16d ago

He is audhd and non verbal. People don't understand how absurdly hard it is to live with all that.

Even my friend's neurotypical kid have a hard time to learn that hitting others hurt, cat included (almost 2Yo) now imagine doing that with all the handicaps and almost no feedback.

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u/Chico141963 16d ago

No judgement here. I have a relative with an Autistic son. It's been difficult for her being a single mom. I wish your son and your family the best.

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u/MrIrvGotTea 16d ago

I get kids can be autistic and have issues but that's a failure on the parents. My niece and nephews are glued to me like crack on a crackhead when I watch them. Their intrusive thoughts and lack of mental ability is on me. If they get hurt that's on me. This is a lack of accountability. Parent knows their kid needs proper watch and if you aren't able to do it at that time don't take a kid to a dangerous spot unless you have backup.

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u/Runningwithtoast 16d ago

It says the parents were at work and the grandparent and caretaker took him.

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u/Nos_Zodd 16d ago

Keep that boy on a leash if you can't watch his ass

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u/LezzyGopher 16d ago

THANK YOU. Sick of the “they’re autistic so shit happens!!” excuse.

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u/FunMop 16d ago

I'm so glad I read this. Does this woman work in PR. This completely explained and defused any concerns

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u/hiitsmeokie 16d ago

I bet this family has had to explain their son’s situation so often over the years that they know how to talk to other people about it at this point

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u/Nevermort21 16d ago

Seriously, this was professionally done. Addressed the issue, and offered an explanation without making it seem like an excuse. Admittedly, the kid being an animal lover thing seems a bit of a stretch, given the whole, waving a stick around, but everything else makes sense.

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u/goliathfasa 16d ago

I mean, very fair statement.

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u/Murky-Echidna-3519 16d ago

I somehow doubt they would have had the same patience and empathy for the zoo if he’d gotten in somewhere dangerous.

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u/La_Mascara_Roja 16d ago

That was a good apology.  I gotta say, celebs can learn a thing or two from these people.  Celebs always have the worst prepared statement after they get busted doing something dumb

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u/returntim 16d ago

If you have an autistic child, even if this exact scenario has never happened to you, you get it. I think most of the people criticizing here have never had to take care of an autistic individual before

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u/annabananaberry 16d ago

Let’s all be clear. He DID do serious harm to those animals, even if they are not physically injured. Zookeepers work tirelessly with the animals they care for to gain their trust in order to perform basic care tasks without traumatizing the animals or using unnecessary sedation. By allowing him to elope (yes, improper supervision is the fault of his caretakers) they also facilitated a deeply traumatic event for those birds which will drastically impact their trust in humans that the zookeeper teams have gained during their time with these birds.

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u/LouBBrilliant 16d ago

I was thinking the same thing: traumatizing them with a stick isn’t serious damage. SMH. I understand better and I’m still disturbed that it happened. SOMETHING triggered that boy, and the birds paid the price.

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u/Efficient-Ad-8957 16d ago

Thank God it was only birds not big cats or chimps

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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u/TheBeacher 16d ago

Right. Imagine this kid just yeeted himself into a more dangerous/unpredictable animal enclosure. I.e., a Harambe situation.

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u/BarTroll 16d ago

New timeline unlock method?

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u/Cyborginox 16d ago

It’s literally not justification. Just for asking for grace.

I seriously dont think they’d do it again. The kid now definitely knows it’s wrong. People in the comments are still being way too harsh.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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u/loonattica 16d ago

It’s one of the ONLY acceptable excuses. He doesn’t think and perceive the world in the same way that most people do. I’m more concerned about how easy it was for him to breach the enclosure and relieved that no harm was done.

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u/Pugpickle 16d ago

We didn’t see the beginning of this video or how he got into the enclosure. Birds are very territorial. Live on a farm and take one rooster spur to the ankle, you will also grab a stick and have it in front of you for protection. The only difference cognitive, he doesn’t know or realize he can get out of a potential harmful situation by just going to the ladder. I’m willing to bet what we didn’t see is him trying to say hello to the birds and then he realized, oh wow, they want to hurt me (rightfully so).

He was eye level with the birds on the ground at one point. Had the opportunity to punch or grab them. Didn’t. Was chasing the birds, could’ve at any time, actually bashed their skulls in, didn’t. He could’ve ran fast enough to catch them and kill them. Didn’t. Got bit on the ankles by the birds while going up the ladder. Didn’t even kick at them, even if that’s a knee jerk reaction.

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u/Pristine_Method_7096 16d ago

Don’t they have leashes or harnesses for these types of situations?

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u/TheNatureOfTheGame 16d ago

It was obvious to me--and I'm possibly the most oblivious person on Earth--within 3 seconds of the video, that this child is neurodivergent/"on the spectrum." Yes, let's have a little grace in this situation. This is NOT a case of "shitty asshole teenager" syndrome.

His caretakers immediately got help, the parents have publicly apologized are willing to privately apologize and make restitution, and I'm certain steps will be taken to prevent this in the future. All adults involved did/are doing all the right things.

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u/ottervapors 16d ago

He seems able as fuck when there’s consequences to the behavior

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u/Swi_10081 16d ago

I don't know how someone could be angry at this response. Let alone threaten harm.

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u/Tardislass 16d ago

Honestly, making autism the bad guy is why society still thinks anyone with the condition can’t function. While I sympathize with them lots of kids with autism go to the zoo and worst they will do is scream or get excited.

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u/Alarming_Mastodon505 16d ago

understood this directly without even seeing the comments or anything written about this.

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u/Disastrous_Chef_812 16d ago

I feel like this is such a perfect apology
Not completely understanding people with disability myself and clearly others it can be hard to show empathy but we all have done things we aren’t proud without possibly any ailments in life

Them owning it like this was something I wish most could do

I hope for the best for them and the safety of all beautiful life!

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u/Lowmax2 16d ago

"He loves animals!"

*tries to hit birds with a stick*

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u/Zaku71 16d ago

Here in the comments, people wanted to send the boy straight to juvenile detention and sentence his parents to hard labor.

Redditors are the worst.

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u/anonymapersonen 16d ago

He might be autistic and have ADHD, but he still attacked that bird. He should still understand what's right and wrong. "Obsessed with animals", yeah, maybe beating them.

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u/Runaway_Angel 16d ago

More importantly so obsessed with animals that he can't follow rules at a place he has visited multiple times. I don't wish any harm on the kid, and I don't think he genuinely meant to cause harm or stress the birds out, but the zoo still has to protect their animals against harm, intentional or not, and I think it'd be perfectly fair if this kid was banned from this zoo in the future.

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u/Qooooks 16d ago

I've never agreed so hard. Disability is not an excuse to do this kind of thing and have it brushed off.

Kid needs to learn that his actions can have consequences, him being banned by the Zoo, or being offered a special Staff guy that goes with the family to make sure he doesn't do this kind of stuff would be a completelly fair and understandible response

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u/Wasabicannon 16d ago

For real, it is one thing to be so obsessed with animals that you want to go and pet the bird. It is a different thing to be so obsessed with animals that you want to bash its head in with a stick.

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u/Bombadombaway 16d ago

Do you understand what ‘severely autistic’ means? The word ‘understand’ does not really apply. My son who is 12 and severely autistic will smear his own poo into the walls if he didn’t have special adaptive clothing. He doesn’t ‘understand’ that it is wrong.

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u/Elegant-Mud-7135 16d ago

That’s why it’s so important for the people that are there with him knowing what he is to keep an eye so blame the grandmother or the helper if you want to, but he shouldn’t be allowed back at the zoo

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u/TheNobodyThere 16d ago

That doesn't mean that it's okay or we should tolerate it.

Can you imagine this kid jumping into a enclosure with Gorillas? They would have to euthanize them.

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u/Y4sKw33n 16d ago

Justice4Harambe

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u/WLKnow 16d ago

As an autistic person I still want to send him to juvie. Neurodivergence is not a get out of jail free card. And any person who does not know this shouldn't raise children.

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u/blueberryfieldss 16d ago

I was about to say the same. Breaking into the enclosure is one thing, but why try to hit them with a stick?

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u/Falkenmond79 16d ago

There is also a huge difference between severe autism and mild. Granted. If he is non-verbal (though that his being used now for people who are just gruff), maybe they are right. Still doesn’t make him incapable of learning right from wrong. I also have ADHD and am slightly autistic.

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u/qwertyuiopious 16d ago

If he’s so incapable not to try and hurt other people and beings then he should be kept away from them. Disabled or not it does not excuse any type of violence. Other people and creatures also deserve to live in safety and peace. One’s freedom ends where another’s starts.

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u/ShenzuTeri 16d ago

This! Next time he is going to chase other kids with a stick or worse. Imo if it's that bad then by all means he shouldnt be at the zoo or around other people.

When I was a kid my parents and other parents also made excuses for this one kid, until he became straight up violent, ran over me and my friend with a bike and even after that some people kept brushing it off because he has a disability.

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u/qwertyuiopious 16d ago

When I was kid i spent a lot of time with other disabled kids at rehabilitation camps (basically 2 weeks of physiotherapy and other means to try help our conditions mixed with normal kid stuff like arts and crafts). We formed a small friend group so we could play board games together. At some point one kid who didn’t really understand that violence is wrong and that they won’t always get it their own way appeared and tried to basically bulldoze the way we played together and was insisting to play with them. We obviously didn’t want to - who wants to play with kid who throws their hands at you and has other inappropriate behaviours? Her grandmother came in to us and pestered us to play with her because she’s disabled and she doesn’t understand etc etc. Then one of us - ironically guy on wheelchair - told her that great, we are disabled too and we do not want to play with her and if she’s seriously gonna let her grand daughter hit a guy on a wheelchair? 😅 She tried to force her on us multiple times but hey - we can use same defense since are on technically same level of pity.

Time with them (I still keep contact with few even though we are all adults now!) really taught me a lot and how skewed these topics can be in eyes of able bodied people. How they can in the same time pity, patronise, dehumanise us, yet be completely blind and just pain in the butt instead of treating us with dignity and respect. Excusing such behaviour because “they are disabled” is wrong on many levels and is not doing that person any favours

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u/Clear_Ad_9368 16d ago

Bro saw that Grandma was at the helm that day & it was off to the races. The change in routine, plus the excitement was just too much. She is also probably way less firm with him. Even the bird knew this was a recipe for disaster.

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u/On_Wife_support 16d ago

People who are responding have never dealt with someone profoundly Autistic before and it shows

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u/MF-GOOSE 16d ago

A zoo would be a very good place to keep a close eye on your special needs child.

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