Friday, March 15, 2013
The screening will include fun family activities, a Q & A with the filmmakers and zoo “elephant whisperer” Will Thieson, plus much more.
When Mia Boccella Hartle and her husband, Tom Hartle, set out to make a documentary about the 2008 birth of two baby elephants at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, she discovered the story didn’t just begin and end with the calves entering the world. Instead, she found the elephants, like any family, have a complex relationship with each other, and their trainers, that ranges from affection to sibling rivalry. “The dynamics are very, very similar to what goes on in human families,” Hartle, a Highland Park resident, said. The bond between the elephants, and how they adjust to their environment, is what led Hartle to name the documentary Elefamilia. “We knew right away that they were all part of a family and trying to be a family,” she …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Two-year-old Maddox Derkosh died after falling from the platform into the painted dogs exhibit.
The Pittsburgh Zoo observation platform from which 2-year-old Maddox Derkosh fell into an African painted dogs exhibit will be removed, according to a spokesman at the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office. "In an effort to facilitate the ongoing review of the circumstances surrounding the death of Maddox Derkosh at the Pittsburgh Zoo, District Attorney (Stephen A.) Zappala (Jr.) met this morning with Dr. Barbara Baker and the City of Pittsburgh police officers who responded to the scene," said spokesman Mike Manko in an email to reporters. Maddox, of Whitehall Borough, was visiting the zoo with his mother on Nov. 4 when he fell from the top of a platform railing into the dogs exhibit and was mauled to death. "The meeting, which …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Two-year-old Maddox Derkosh was killed in early November.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office will not pursue criminal charges against Elizabeth Derkosh, the mother of the late Maddox Derkosh, who was killed in a tragic mauling accident at the Pittsburgh Zoo in early November. However, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is investigating a possible criminal negligence charge against the zoo, according to KDKA. Elizabeth and 2-year-old Maddox, both of Whitehall Borough's Highgrove Road, were visiting the zoo on Nov. 4 when Maddox fell from the top of a platform railing to the ground inside of the pit area of an African painted dogs exhibit, according to a statement from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Pittsburgh police said that the child lost his balance after his mother lifted …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Trucks can be donated now at Slater Funeral Service in Scott Township OR at Maddox Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon on Friday.
UPDATES are in bold italics below. The Derkosh family of Whitehall Borough is asking that interested parties, in lieu of flowers, give toy construction trucks to be donated to a children's Christmas charity in the memory of 2-year old Maddox Derkosh, who died tragically at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday. The trucks are being accepted now at William Slater II Funeral Service in Scott Township. They will also be accepted at Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon at 10 a.m. on Friday. Friends will be welcomed for a viewing of Maddox at Slater Funeral Service from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, according to Maddox's obituary on the funeral service's website. Trucks can also be dropped off at the Whitehall Police Department lobby …
Friday, May 18, 2012
A minor fire broke out in the aquarium Thursday night.
The PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo is closed today, Friday. According to the zoo's Facebook page, a minor fire broke out in the aquarium Friday night. "No animals or staff were hurt or in danger at any time," the Facebook status states. "Zoo personnel will be repairing a small tank and motor and we hope to reopen as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience." According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, an electrical fire began at about 9 p.m. above a tank that was being renovated. The rest of the zoo is open. Be sure to keep up with the latest Pine-Richland news by subscribing to our daily email newsletter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter.
Jennifer
9:46 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
We have to protect people from their own stupidity. more ›