Girl dragged by hair, bitten by kangaroo at animal park
What was supposed to be a fun family visit to an animal park turned violet when a little girl was dragged by the hair and mauled by a caged kangaroo in the US.
Jennifer White was recording her two daughters' visit to Harmony Park Safari in Madison County, Alabama on her mobile phone, when nine-year-old Cheyenne was attacked.
The footage begins with the two girls looking at the animal from the other side of the fence, before the youngest, aged three, reaches her hand out to the animal.
In split seconds, the mammal sticks its head and arms through the enclosure, reaches over and grabs Cheyenne by the head, and appears to bite her on the head.
The little girl screams in terror while being dragged by her hair towards the fence, just centimetres from her little sister.
Ms White can be heard trying to calm Cheyenne by saying "ok... come here", before the video cuts out.
Her daughter was reportedly rushed to hospital requiring 14 stitches, following the attack.
The youngster was initially engaging with the animal by mimicking its actions while the kangaroo responded.
"I thought it was playing. I'm just glad it got me instead of my baby sister because it would've hurt her even worse," Cheyenne White told ABC7.
While there are signs on the kangaroo fence warning "I bite", Ms White said the park could have more of protective barrier to prevent such injuries.
The park reportedly declined to comment on the incident, however signage at the beginning of the trail advised visitors enter at their own risk, under state law.
Little Cheyenne is expected to make a full recovery.
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