A zoo is calling for criminal charges against a toddler's parents after the child fell into a cheetah exhibit having allegedly been dangled over the edge of the enclosure.
The two-year-old boy is said to be in a stable condition with only minor leg injuries after he fell into the cheetah exhibit at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
According to reports, the child's parents dashed into the exhibit after the youngster fell in and got him out.
The animals made no attempt to go up to the child or his parents, but stunned officials at the zoo have slammed the behaviour of the adults.
Dr Christopher Kuhar, executive director for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, said: "Unfortunately we have a number of eyewitness accounts that point to the strong likelihood that the child was dangled over the railing."
Local news channel newsnet5.com was told by Cleveland Fire Department spokesman Larry Gray that the mother is thought to have been holding two children near the cheetah enclosure, when the two-year-old boy fell in.
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Michael Lurie, who saw what happened, said: "You could just hear the screams and all you could see was the adult that jumped in and got the kid. Then somebody pulled him out."
The child was rushed to a nearby hospital but was found to be only suffering minor injuries.
There has been no comment yet from the child’s parents.
