A toddler’s hand got caught in a wolf’s mouth Saturday after the child crawled into a restricted area at Hersheypark’s zoo while their oblivious parents were allegedly distracted by their phones.
The “unsupervised” 17-month-old was injured after managing to crawl under a perimeter fence to a metal fence surrounding the wolves’ habitat, where the tot then stuck their hand through, a spokesperson for ZooAmerica said.
A curious wolf grabbed the tot’s tiny fingers in its mouth, according to the zoo, which is located inside the Pennsylvania park.
The wolf “briefly” took the child’s hand into its mouth — consistent with canines’ instinctive “investigatory behavior” when interacting with unfamiliar objects in their environment, the spokesperson added.
“Wolves investigate, test, and interact with unfamiliar objects through ‘mouthing,’ which can include gently taking something into the mouth without intent to injure,” the spox said.
Bystanders intervened and pulled the toddler away while the child’s unsuspecting parents, Carrie Sortor, 43, and Stephen Wilson, 61, were allegedly looking at their phones on a bench some 25 to 30 feet away, Derry Township police told WGAL.
The couple was blissfully unaware that their child was in danger and looked up when they heard the commotion coming from the wolf enclosure, cops told the local outlet.
The child suffered only minor injuries during the incident, ZooAmerica officials stressed.
Both Sortor and Lititz have since been charged with a first-degree misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of children, the outlet reported.
“Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing. Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times,” ZooAmerica said.
There are three wolves housed at the 11-acre zoo — Twister, a male wolf, and two sisters, Hazel and Freya — according to the zoo’s website.
