A worrying incident led to a toddler being injured by a wolf at Hersheypark Zoo in Pennsylvania. The situation occurred on Saturday, April 4.
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The toddler had managed to crawl into the restricted area. Its parents were reportedly "oblivious" and distracted by their phones, per the New York Post.
"The 'unsupervised' 17-month-old was injured after managing to crawl under a perimeter fence to a metal fence surrounding the wolves' habitat, where the tot then stuck their hand through, a spokesperson for ZooAmerica said," The New York Post reported.
Unfortunately, the wolf did what wolves do and grabbed the toddler's fingers in its mouth.
"The wolf "briefly" took the child's hand into its mouth — consistent with canines' instinctive "investigatory behavior" when interacting with unfamiliar objects in their environment," a spokesperson for the Zoo said. "Wolves investigate, test, and interact with unfamiliar objects through 'mouthing.' Which can include gently taking something into the mouth without intent to injure."
Despite the incident, the parents were reportedly unaware of what was happening. Instead, bystanders at the zoo intervened, pulling the toddler away.
"The parents, 43-year-old Carrie Sortor and 61-year-old Stephen Wilson of Lititz, were sitting on a bench 25 to 30 feet away from the 17-month-old and appeared to be looking at their cellphones when the incident occurred," Local station, WGAL, reported. "They reportedly looked up when they heard commotion coming from the wolf enclosure."
The Toddler's Parents Have Been Charged With Child Endangerment
WGAL has since reported that the parents of the toddler in question have been charged with child endangerment.
"After an initial investigation, the Derry Township Police Department and the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office charged Sortor and Wilson with one count of endangering the welfare of children," WGAL reported.
In retrospect, the toddler was fortunate to escape with what is assumed to be only minor injuries. Wolves are wild animals and can pose a serious threat to life in the wrong circumstances. Thankfully, bystanders acted quickly to de-escalate what could have been a far worse situation.
No details have been provided regarding what level of punishment the parents could face in found guilty.
