The parents of a toddler who was injured after squeezing through a fence and sticking his hand into a wolf enclosure at the ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park in Pennsylvania have been charged with child endangerment, police said.
The 17-month-old child went through a small opening in a wooden barrier perimeter fence and entered a restricted area near the wolf exhibit at ZooAmerica in the Hersheypark theme park, Derry Township Police said.
He then reached a chain-link fence enclosure and made contact with one of the animals after placing his hand through the fence.
Evidence showed that the child’s parents both walked about eight to nine metres away from the child to a seating area with benches and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones when they noticed what was happening shortly before noon Saturday, police said in a statement.
“From the injuries sustained, it appears as though one of the wolves in the enclosure instinctively and naturally grabbed onto the child’s hand with its mouth. Several bystanders intervened and helped pull the child away,” police said in the statement.
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Upon completion of the initial investigation by the Derry Township Police Department and consultation with the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, the child’s parents, Carrie B. Sortor, 43, and Stephen J.B. Wilson, 61, are each being charged with one count of endangering the welfare of children, police said.
The parents, who live in nearby Lititz, Pa., await a preliminary hearing later this month on the misdemeanour charge.
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo told The Associated Press that the decision to file a criminal charge was carefully considered.
“We looked at a lot of factors — the age of the child, the circumstances, how diligent you have to be because it’s potentially dangerous,” Chardo said.
“We looked at it closely,” he added.
A spokesperson for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Co. told USA Today that the toddler “crawled under an exterior perimeter fence before he approached the primary metal enclosure of the wolf habitat and put his hand through the fence.”
“A wolf approached and made contact with the child’s hand,” the zoo said in a statement. “This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression.”
Wolves use their mouths as humans use hands, the zoo said, and they check out unfamiliar objects by mouthing them.
The spokesperson said the safety of its visitors and the well-being of their animals are “always our highest priorities,” while noting that visitors are expected to “remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times.”
“Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing,” the spokesperson added.
The zoo said the boy’s injuries were “minor, surface-level” and that the animal is up-to-date on vaccinations and remains in the exhibit.
Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the incident, assisted the child, or has video or additional information to contact Sgt. Dennis Eckenrode or submit a tip through the Crimewatch page.
Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering on a monorail line was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails. The child was unharmed and reunited with his family.
Global News has reached out to Derry Township Police Department and Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Co. for further comment.
— With files from The Associated Press
“the child’s parents both walked about eight to nine metres away from the child to a seating area with benches and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones”
I see it so many times where parents pay more attention to their phones than their children.