The incident occurred on March 11. (representative picture)
A 9-year-old Dutch boy strangled several animals to death while visiting a petting zoo alone.according to subwayThe incident occurred on March 11 at the Rekerhout petting zoo in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. The boy, whose identity has not been revealed, went to the zoo alone and killed as many as nine rabbits and two guinea pigs without any apparent motive. He allegedly “showed no emotion” after carrying out the senseless attack.
“It makes you absolutely sick,” zoo manager Ali Dorenbos said, according to media reports. Police caught the child and his parents were called to the scene. Police said he will not face criminal charges because he is under 12 years old, but he will enter a care program.
“I feel sad for the animals and I feel sad for the little boy who obviously felt so bad that he had to do this,” psychiatrist Esther van Fenema said of the incident said. “If you kill an animal at home, explain to your child why. Even if it’s an insect. That way he or she will know you don’t snap a guinea pig’s neck, it’s harmful,” the psychiatrist added.
according to MirrorAnne-Marie Le Buhan, an expert at the Het Geitenweitje Foundation in Laren, also commented on the incident. “It’s horrible. How could this happen? This is so extreme. And there’s no supervision?” she said.
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Meanwhile, the incident comes after reports emerged in a UK-wide WhatsApp chat that children were filming themselves using catapults to injure and kill animals. Metro reported that about 500 members in 110 group chats shared videos of their killings.
Video shows injured animals slowly dying after being shot with catapults, while others are kicked to death. Target animals include pigs, deer, doves, foxes, squirrels, pheasants, rabbits, geese and ducks.
Psychologist Joni E. Johnston writes that parents should watch for warning signs if their children harm animals. She said: “Locking a pet in an enclosed space, lashing out at a pet after an argument with a parent, or taking pleasure in watching an animal suffer are all ‘red flags’ that indicate the need for professional intervention.” She added: ” This is especially true when the child is cognitively mature enough to understand that what he/she is doing is wrong and will do it repeatedly anyway.”
