Child hospitalized after falling into rhino exhibit at Florida zoo

Jan. 1, 2019 / 8:12 PM GMT

By Minyvonne Burke

A child slipped and fell into a rhino exhibit Tuesday at a Florida zoo, officials said.

The child, whose age wasn’t released, was rushed to a local hospital but the condition wasn’t immediately clear.

A spokesperson for the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne said the incident happened during a hands-on, educational experience at the zoo called a Rhino Encounter.

“During the encounter, participants and the rhinoceroses are separated by a series of steel poles. According to witnesses, the child stumbled and fell in between two of the poles and at this point, the snout of at least one of rhinoceroses made contact with the child,” the statement read.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.