A toddler at a Pennsylvania zoo squeezed through a fence Saturday and made contact with a wolf, suffering minor injuries in the incident that has now resulted in criminal charges against the child's parents.
The incident occurred at ZooAmerica in Hersheypark. Police say the parents were sitting roughly 25 to 30 feet away from the child at a nearby bench, both focused on their cellphones, when they realized what was happening.
Authorities charged both parents with endangering the welfare of children. The investigation found that the youngster managed to breach the enclosure barrier and physically interact with one of the wolves before the situation was contained.
The parents' inattention during the incident became central to the charges. According to the police account, the considerable distance between the adults and child, combined with their focus on mobile devices rather than supervision, created the conditions that allowed the dangerous situation to unfold.
ZooAmerica officials have not publicly commented on whether the enclosure itself presented security vulnerabilities or if additional safeguards will be implemented to prevent similar breaches in the future.
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