Shocking video captures the moment a 3-year-old girl was dropped into a bear pit at a zoo in Uzbekistan by her mother, who is being investigated for attempted murder.
The distressing footage from Tashkent shows the child being dropped into a trench about 16 feet below the railing as the hulking bear, named Zuzu, walks by and sniffs the child, East2West News reported.
Zookeepers managed to lure the beast into an enclosed part of the area before rushing to rescue the little girl, who suffered a concussion and cuts from the fall, according to the news outlet.
The mother has been detained and faces a criminal case for attempted murder. She could be sentenced to 15 years behind bars if convicted of the harrowing crime.
“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,” a zoo spokeswoman said.
“Both the visitors and the staff of the zoo were trying to stop her but failed,” she said. “We are scared to even think how this would end if the bear were to react at the toddler as its prey.”
The spokeswoman added: “Zuzu got slowly stood up, slowly got down the trench, walked towards the girl, sniffed her and walked back.”
