Mum drops three-year-old daughter into zoo's bear enclosure
Shocking video has captured the moment a distressed mum dropped her three-year-old daughter into a brown bear enclosure at a zoo.
CCTV shows the mum, 30, dangle the girl over the railing of the enclosure in Uzbekistan on Friday before suddenly letting go.
Zoo visitors appear to watch on in horror as the bear, named ZuZu, darts toward the child.
Witnesses said ZuZu got close to the young girl and sniffed her before thankfully walking away to an internal part of the cage.
The mum stayed and watched the incident before zoo staff rushed into the enclosure and saved the three-year-old.
The girl suffered concussion, head cuts and bruises injuries from her fall but none from the bear. She is also said to be in shock.
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The unnamed mum was later detained and faces a criminal case for attempted murder, local publications report. She faces a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted.
“A young woman threw a little girl down into a brown bear’s enclosure, in front of all the visitors,” a zoo spokeswoman said.
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“Both the visitors and the staff of the zoo were trying to stop her — but failed.
“It’s scary to even think what could have happened if the bear had reacted to the child as a predator to a prey.
“Zuzu, a male Caucasian Brown Bear, was watching the woman, who threw the little one over a metal fence. She fell into a trench under the fence.
“Zuzu got slowly stood up, slowly got down the trench, walked towards the girl, sniffed her and walked back.”
The zoo spokeswoman said it was unclear what the mum’s motive was, however local officials claim the woman was in despair after her husband left home to find work in Russia, The Telegraph reports.
“The woman has been depressed as her husband left for Russia and no longer lives with her,” the Uzbek health ministry said.
Officials said the mum is a university professor, has two children and lives with her elderly dad.
with Australscope
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