A 3-year-old boy was in critical condition Friday after he fell into the jaguar exhibit at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Children's Hospital released a statement saying the child is suffering after falling into the big cat pit, and NBC affiliate KARK reported that the boy had to undergo surgery for a fractured skull.
'We are treating a child here at Arkansas Children's Hospital who was injured earlier today at Little Rock Zoo,' read the statement.
'The child's condition is critical,' the statement continued. 'We respect the wishes of the child's guardian who asked that the child's name and any additional information not be shared at this time. Thank you for respecting the privacy of this family.'
The child's grandfather reportedly perched him on the railing of the exhibit, and he fell right in. Zoo staffed arrived at the enclosure around 10:45 a.m., and immediately radioed for help. Staff tried using a fire extinguisher to keep the dangerous animals away from the boy.
According to officials, 'Zoo staff are trained to use fire extinguishers to safely overwhelm potentially dangerous animals if an incident like this were to occur.'
While employees sprayed the cats, other staff lowered a ladder into the exhibit and one staffer climbed into the exhibit and retrieved the child.
He was conscious and responding, according to officials.
He was handed over to his father, and both rode in a golf cart to the zoo's back entrance where an ambulance met the pair and rushed the boy to a nearby hospital.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and the family,' said City Manager Bruce Moore. 'The safety of our citizens is of paramount value and our staff followed training procedures on rescuing the child and were able to respond quickly and efficiently and work with emergency personnel.'
He added that an investigation is being conducted.
Posted by Unknown on Friday, October 10, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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