Jaguars Maul Toddler: Status Of 3-Year-Old’s Medical Condition After Fall Into Zoo’s Jaguar Pit

After jaguars maul a toddler at an Arkansas zoo on Friday, the boy’s medical condition has been upgraded. Friday morning, a 3-year-old boy was badly injured after he put his feet over a railing that enclosed jaguars at the Little Rock Zoo. When he fell in, two jaguars began clamping their jaws on the child.

As reported in the New York Post, the boy is listed in “stable” condition after undergoing surgery. His recovery is improving, as a statement released by spokesman of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Dan McFadden, says.

“The child’s condition has been upgraded to stable and is expected to improve,” McFadden confirms.

When the boy arrived at the hospital, he was suffering from a skull fracture, scalp lacerations, and minor puncture wounds. He’s expected to survive the attack.

The toddler’s family request that the boy’s name not be released.

According to police, the father was snapping a picture of the jaguar exhibit when his feet unexpectedly went over the railing; it put him 15-feet into the animals’ enclosure.

The father and grandfather informed police that one jaguar bit into the child’s neck and another bit around his foot. When the father threw objects at the animals, they backed off, but one quickly came back and bit into the child’s neck area again. Zoo staff used fire extinguishers, forcing the large cats away from the child until a ladder was put in to lift the child out.

Fox News reports that the father threw a camera bag and water hose spool at the jaguars before zoo staff arrived to get control of the situation.

Little Rock City Manager Bruce released a statement about the harrowing attack.

“The child was then handed to the child’s father and both were taken by golf cart to the Zoo’s back gate entrance where the child was placed in an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital.”

An investigation will be conducted on the jaguar mauling, Moore says.

Little Rock Zoo released a statement, indicating that the jaguar exhibit won’t reopen until after the investigation is complete.

An article on The Inquisitr covered the incident when news first broke about it on Friday. Several photos and tweets from zoo visitors are included in the report.

Authorities are trying to determine how the child got into the large cats’ enclosure.

If animals like jaguars maul a toddler, the outcome can easily be far worse. Fortunately, it wasn’t a fatal attack like so many typically are.

[Image via @AlyssaRaymond/Twitter]