Girl, two, rushed to hospital after falling into rhino enclosure at Florida zoo

Officials at the zoo inspect the rhino pen after the incident (AP)
Officials at the zoo inspect the rhino pen after the incident (AP)

A little girl has been rushed to hospital after slipping and falling into a rhino enclosure at a zoo in Florida.

The two-year-old is thought to have come into contact with one of the rhinos, and the full extent of her injuries are not yet known.

Her father said in a statement that the girl was ‘doing well’.

The toddler had been visiting Brevard Zoo with her family on Tuesday when she fell through steel poles that separate guests from rhinos during the daily hands-on experience.

The enclosure is part of a ‘hands-on experience’ held daily at the zoo (AP)
The enclosure is part of a ‘hands-on experience’ held daily at the zoo (AP)

A zoo spokesman said: ‘According to witnesses, the child stumbled and fell in between two of the poles and at this point the snout of at least one rhinoceros made contact with the child.’

Her mother was also injured during the incident, though these were not thought to be serious.

The girl and her mother were both treated at an Orlando hospital.

The father, who was unnamed, added in his statement that ‘today has been a trying day for our family’.

The zoo’s director Keith Winsten told Florida Today that he did not believe the the girl had been touched by the rhino’s horn.

‘Our number one concern is the safety and welfare of our guests and our hearts go out to the family,’ he said.

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‘Safety has always been of paramount importance to us and we are suspending these encounters until we have thoroughly reviewed our processes and procedures to ensure this cannot happen again.’

One eyewitness told NBC that the little girl looked frightened after the incident and was ‘crying’.

The zoo said there had been no previous incidents involving the rhinos (AP)
The zoo said there had been no previous incidents involving the rhinos (AP)

‘The mom wasn’t crying, she just looked shocked,’ added the eyewitness.

Brevard Zoo has run the hands-on experience every day since 2009 with no previous problems, a spokesman added.

The zoo has more than 900 animals.

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