The mother stunned and horrified onlookers, but miraculously the little girl survived. The three-year-old girl was thrown into the brown bear’s cage, however, the animal just went over to the infant and simply sniffed, then walked away. The bear’s name is Zuzu and the animal is currently a resident at the zoo.
The animal was quickly enticed to another part of the cage so staff could rescue the child.
The mother was arrested after the incident at the zoo in Uzbekistan.
According to the Daily Mirror, the little girl’s mum now faces an attempted murder charge after the horrifying ordeal.
A spokesman for the zoo said: “A young woman threw a little girl down into a brown bear’s enclosure.
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“We are scared to even think how this would end if the bear were to react at the toddler as its prey.
“Zuzu, a male Caucasian Brown Bear was watching the woman, who threw the little one over a metal fence.
“She fell into a trench under the fence.
“Zuzu got slowly up, slowly got down into the trench, walked towards the girl, sniffed her and walked back.”
The mother, who currently remains unnamed, has been detained and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.
The young girl suffered a concussion when she landed in the bear’s cage.
She suffered cuts, bruises and other injuries from her fall.
The zoo’s spokesperson said there was “not a single trace of wounds from the bear’s fangs or claws”.