A 2-year-old girl and her mother were on one of the Dublin Zoo’s regular supervised animal visits Thursday when the toddler was attacked by a Brazilian tapir and left unconscious. While trying to interfere in the attack, the child’s mother was also injured by the agitated animal. The girl underwent surgery for “deep” stomach and arm injuries likely caused by the tapir’s strong jaw and is now under supervision at a children’s hospital. Her mother was taken to a different hospital in North Dublin. Meanwhile, zoo officials have said staff were “deeply upset” over this “unfortunate accident,” making sure to “underline that this was very much an isolated incident,” and confirm that “management at the zoo immediately launched an investigation into this regrettable occurrence.”
