Mother drops 3-year-old into bear enclosure; video goes viral
In a horrific incident, a mother dropped her three-year-daughter into a bear pit at a zoo in Uzbekistan. The disturbing video from Tashkent zoo shows the child falling into a trench about 16 feet below the railing, right into the brown bear's den. Notably, the child was not hurt by the bear and was later rescued by zookeepers.
The bear, named Zuzu, had been circling its enclosure at the time of the incident. Onlookers said the bear went up to the girl and sniffed her after she landed in the trench. However, it moved away after sniffing the child and did not hurt her. Meanwhile, zookeepers rescued the child by luring the animal into an indoor part of the enclosure.
Have You Seen This?#Tashkent, #Uzbekistan
— Geovanni Villafañe (@RezZureKtedPoeT) January 31, 2022
A girl survives after her mom recklessly placed her child over the security fence and she fell into a bear sanctuary at #TashkentZoo. The brown bear #Zuzu, slowly approached the girl, sniffed and walked away. pic.twitter.com/dXCZwo8YVa
The video shows the mother holding the baby over the railings at the viewing point just before dropping her into the bear's den. The mother then appears to stay and watch as the bear moves toward the child. Moments later, six zoo staff enter the external part of the cage, with one picking up the girl in his arms and carrying her away.
Reportedly, the mother--who has not been named--was detained and charged for attempted murder. She faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted, reports added. A zoo spokesperson said it was "completely unclear" what the woman's motive was. "Both the visitors and the staff of the zoo were trying to stop her - but failed," the spokesperson added.
The three-year-old was diagnosed with a concussion, "caused by her falling from a height of five meters," the zoo spokesperson told Daily Mail. The child also suffered a "light shock" and an open wound on her head. "Currently her state is normal, but she remains under constant observation," the spokesperson added.
