The doctors called it a miracle that a 21-month-old baby survived after accidentally got into an enclosure with rhinos.
The incident occurred on 1 January during a private tour of the Brevard Zoo (FL) in the presence of two employees. According to the warden of the exhibition, even before the incident, the girl stroked the animal through the bars about 10 minutes. It is noted that the rhinos were calm. Two employees also noted that the parents held the baby and I followed her.
Then the girl «somehow fell in the cage», perhaps after the loss of balance reported at the zoo. She was on the ground, near the feet of one of the rhinos. After that, two females named Kibibi of Uzuri and pressed it to the metal supports before the father managed to grab her.
According to the Florida Commission for the protection of fish and wildlife, the child had a damaged liver, kidney, lungs, right ear, chest, abdomen, head and leg. The baby was in the hospital for 6 days.
THIS MORNING: @QMcCrayWFTV is DIGGING into the 28-page report detailing what happened to the 21-month old girl who fell into the RHINO EXHIBIT at Brevard Zoo. Injuries to her liver, back, chest, and head as rhino repeatedly pushed into her posts. DETAILS 5-9AM @WFTV pic.twitter.com/luIFmt6fkv
— Jamie Holmes (@JHolmesWFTV) January 31, 2019
According to zoo staff, the girl was in the cage for about 10 seconds. The administration also notes that the distance between the bars was about 20 cm.
After the incident, the father (the names of the members of the seven unknown) issued a statement of Orlando Health, in which he thanked people for caring about his family.
«Our daughter is in good care at Arnold Palmer Hospital (for children). She feels all right. — said the father. — Now we ask for privacy as we focus on rebuilding our daughter.»
In Brevard Zoo said that in connection with this accident are exploring options to improve the security of the enclosures.
The administration also argues that it is the first such incident since the opening of the exhibition in 2009, but there are suspicions that it is not. According to investigators contacted Peggy Kunkle, who said that one of her granddaughters squeezed through the same grid in 2010, but then nothing happened.
Brevard County woman says she tried to warn zoo about the potential danger at the rhino encounter in 2010 after her granddaughter went through the steel bars into the rhino enclosure! Zoo has no record of it. Live coverage on #WFTVat11 @WFTV pic.twitter.com/MFrs9RzcKf
— Ken Tyndall (@KenTyndallWFTV) January 31, 2019
Kuncl noted that told the zoo staff about the incident.
«I talked to four different people, and they had something to do with it,» said the woman. In the zoo say they can’t find records or documents related to this case, although the network has already appeared fetotoksicescoe.
