I don’t know why, but I find this story cute. Well, it’s not cute that 2,500 trout died, but the killer bear itself is so cute and ragged-looking that I couldn’t help but smile when I read the story. 
This teddy bear clogged a drain blocking oxygen flow in a hatchery pool, killing 2,500 trout.
Full story here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/26/killer.teddy.ap/index.html
A couple years ago while visiting a botanical garden I saw a small child stomping around in a beautiful flower bed planted with spring bulbs.
I’d recognised many of the flowers to be from bulbs that were rather expensive.
I didn’t see any one close by who looked like they were his parents
and I was concerned not to frighten the child (as a stranger)
so I quietly said something like, “hello little boy. Please be careful. Try not to step on the baby flowers.”
Just then his father dashed across the garden and shouted at me with an loud and angry voice that the child was only 2 yrs old and wasn’t accountable for his actions.
I remember thinking at the time that if the poor child takes after his father he might never be thought mature enough to be held accountable for his actions.
I would have politely taken the child away from the flower bed…
Then went to war on his father.
You’re too soft Hylde..far too soft.
Slan,
D.
Of course, they’re taking the airline-security route to dealing with this issue and banning the disposal of teddy bears in hatcheries, but who can stop that hatefilled toddler from dropping a similar sized or even larger stuffed bunny in there!?
Ahhh precious offspring of parents who should have earned a Darwin award much earlier in life… When I worked at a maritime museum there were days when we wished that we could volunteer such visitors for hands-on demonstrations of the fine old arts of keel-hauling, flogging and hanging from the rigging. 
And the gentleman you encountered was too juvenile himself to be told “of course your child is too young to be held accountable…that’s what parents are for.” GRRR
Personal accountability is, I’m afraid, a dying concept.
[sarcasm]…I blame GTA…[/sarcasm]
This doesn’t necessarily sound like a case of parental neglect. The kid might have accidently dropped the bear and nobody noticed. Doubtful but possible.
That was my first thought, too…
Georgia Transit Authority?
Greater Toronto Area?
Galloping Toad Abatoirs?
djm
Doesnt sound like a very well run Hatchery to me! Surely the the infeed water supplies are usually fitted with Venturi taps? Also, ponds and tanks on a hatchery should really be checked every couple of hours!
Quite - and he should have been presented with a bill by the owner of the flowerbed.
Whatever happened to forgiveness? Children can’t help it if their parents are less than wonderful.
Children are much easier to forgive when their parents have made restitution.
My parents ended up making monetary restitutions for some of my childhood mistakes, and I say it was only right that they did so.
I can only imagine… 
j/k 
Just let me say that I was regarded with wariness for a good, long time.
Still am, come to think of it, but that’s another thing altogether these days.
aahhh, I see…
Yes, it might have come to muzzles, but early intervention did wonders.
A teddy bear falls in the water and it will float for a while.
An unattended small child would have sunk like a rock.