A toddler who was mauled by two
jaguars after falling into their enclosure at a zoo in Arkansas is in a
critical condition.
The three-year-old boy was seized at the
neck by one of the jaguars and at the foot by the second cat after he fell
15ft into the enclosure at Little Rock Zoo, his father and grandfather,
who were with him at the time, told police.
The boy suffered "extensive
scalp lacerations, a depressed skull fracture and several puncture
wounds", the police report quoted a doctor as saying.
His wounds did not appear to be
life-threatening, the police report said.
The boy's father and grandfather said
they threw a camera bag and an empty water hose spool at the animals, causing
them to drop the child, according to the police report.
When zoo staff arrived at the scene
they used fire extinguishers to keep the jaguars at bay until the rescue was
completed.
Authorities said they were trying to
establish how the child fell into the open-air exhibit, one of the state's most
popular attractions.
The area has been closed to the
public pending further review of the incident, a zoo spokeswoman said.
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