A mother is facing an attempted murder charge after dropping her three-year-old girl in a bear enclosure in Uzbekistan.
The toddler only sustained injuries from the fall. The police filed a case against the mother, who may face at least 15 years in prison if convicted.
Mother Faces Attempted Murder Charge
The zoo's spokeswoman said "a young woman threw a little girl down into a brown bear's enclosure, in front of all the visitors. It was completely unclear what her motive was," as per New York Post.
The police are investigating the mother for attempted murder. The police already detained the mother, who may be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison if found convicted, as per Penn Live news.
Three-Year-Old Girl Survives
The incident was recorded through a viral video circulating on social media at a zoo in the capital city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The clip showed the mother is standing in the bear enclosure's railing and dropping her three-year-old girl into a 16-feet trench over the bear pit, according to a report by Daily Mail.
The Caucasian Brown Bear named, Zuzu, went near to the child, sniffed her, and eventually went away.
The child only sustained a concussion and cuts from the fall. The zookeepers managed to lure Zuzu away and locked the bear in another part of the enclosure before rescuing the child.
Prior to the child's fall into the bear enclosure, two visitors and staff of the zoo attempted to stop the mother but failed.
The zoo's spokeswoman said the situation may have been different if the bear saw the child as prey. The child is being treated at a hospital for her sustained injury.
There is no indication that the child's injury came from the bear's fangs or claws but the girl suffered from light shock, says the zoo's spokeswoman.
Related Incidents in the Past
There have been related incidents of children falling into zoo enclosures in the past.
In 2016, zookeepers shot an endangered 17-year-old gorilla named, Harambe, after a three-year-old boy fell into the gorilla's enclosure and was dragged by the gorilla at a zoo in Cincinnati, Ohio, as per NBC News.
This incident triggered varying ethical debates on whether it was right to shoot Harambe or just tranquilized him.
Some experts and activists said it was right to shoot the endangered gorilla since the toddler's life was at risk. Other critics said the Cincinnati zookeepers should have done more before killing Harambe.
In 2012, a two-year-old boy died after falling and a pack of African painted dogs mauled him at a Pittsburgh Zoo, as per CNN. The boy was standing near the railing of the enclosure before losing balance and falling into the den.
In another incident in 1996, a toddler fell into a gorilla enclosure at a zoo in Chicago, Illinois. The toddler survived after a female gorilla named Binti picked him up and brought him directly to the zookeepers, as per ABC News.
Related article: Young Boy Killed by Pack of African Painted Dogs in Pittsburgh Zoo