Toddler Who Fell In Zoo Jaguar Pit Is 'Stable And Is Expected To Improve'

A 3-year-old boy who was injured by a fall into the jaguar pit at an Arkanasa zoo is reported in stable condition Saturday. The boy, whose name has not been released, was originally listed in critical condition after the incident in which two jaguars mauled him after he fell more than 10 feet into the jaguar habitat at the Little Rock Zoo, Fox News reported.

The boy suffered injuries including a depressed skull fracture, scalp lacerations and minor puncture wounds, but the Arkansas Children's Hospital said in a statement Saturday the toddler is "stable and is expected to improve," KTHV, Little Rock, reported Saturday.

The toddler, who was visiting the zoo with his grandfather and father, fell over the railing and into the exhibit Friday morning, the police report said, according to KTHV. Witnesses said he was bitten by the big cats near his neck and foot before zookeepers were able to execute a swift and risky rescue in which one keeper distracted the animals with a fire extinguisher while another climbed down a ladder and retrieved the child, Fox reported.

"The child was then handed to the child's father and both were taken by golf cart to the zoo's back gate entrance where the child was placed in an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital," Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore said in a statement obtained by Fox.

The police report said after the boy fell into the enclosure, a zookeeper heard screams for assitance and called for emergency help. An ambulance which was posted at the zoo at the time appeared on the scene within two minutes and whisked the boy to the hospital.