A mother dropped her three-year-old daughter into a bear enclosure.
A horrifying video shows the moment a mother dropped her three-year-old daughter into a bear enclosure at a zoo in Uzbekistan. She has now been charged with attempted murder. Shocking footage from Tashkent Zoo shows the mother dangling her child over the railings before dropping her down. According to the New York Post, horrified onlookers watched helplessly as the child landed in a trench about 16-feet below, right into the brown bear's den.
The bear, named Zuzu, had been circling its enclosure. Witnesses said that it went up to the girl and sniffed her after she landed in the trench. Fortunately, the bear moved away after sniffing the child and did not hurt her.
Meanwhile, zookeepers managed to lure the animal into an indoor part of the enclosure in order to rescue the girl. Footage that has been widely shared online shows six zookeepers entering the enclosure and one of them picking the girl up and carrying her away.
According to the Daily Mail, the mother - who has not been named - was detained and charged with attempted murder. She faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted. Her daughter was hospitalised with a head injury and cuts she suffered from the fall.
A spokesperson for the zoo 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. Both the visitors and the staff of the zoo were trying to stop her - but failed," the spokesperson added.
The three-year-old girl was diagnosed with a concussion and an open wound on her head. She is recovering in a hospital and her condition is stable, but she is under constant observation.
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