A ONE-YEAR-OLD child has been bitten by a wolf after sneaking into a restricted area and sticking his hand into its enclosure.
Parents of the tot were allegedly distracted by their phones when the boy managed to crawl away and tried to touch a wolf that snapped at his hand.
The chaos led to a spokesperson for ZooAmerica saying that the wolf acted in a friendly manner and didn’t intend to cause any harm.
They said the wolf “briefly” held the child’s hand in its mouth in an “investigatory” manner before letting go.
A 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.”
Park staff believe the unsupervised 17-month-old child crawled under a perimeter fence and made his way towards a second metal barrier surrounding the wolves’ habitat.
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He was only pulled to safety by shocked bystanders who claimed to see the boy being pulled towards the fence by the caged animal.
Parents Carrie Sortor, 43, and Stephen Wilson, 61, were allegedly looking at their phones at the time, Derry Township police told WGAL.
The pair were sitting on a bench just 25ft away when the wounded boy was escorted back to them.
Sortor and Wilson have since both been charged with a first-degree misdemeanour count of endangering the welfare of children.
The boy suffered minor injuries and went home safely after receiving medical attention at the park.
ZooAmerica said in a statement: “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.”
They also assured guests that the animals are not aggressive at the zoo as they told USA TODAY: “This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior.”
Three grey wolves are housed at the 11-acre park which has over 200 various types of animals.
They include Twister, a male wolf, and two sisters in Hazel and Freya.
It is unclear which animal interacted with the boy.
ZooAmerica sits within the major tourist attraction of Hersheypark 100 miles west of Philadelphia.
It comes just days after a woman was attacked by a wolf outside an Ikea in Germany.
The wild beast mauled the woman’s face while she was trying to lead it away from other shoppers in Hamburg.
She was left bleeding after suffering a wound at the corner of her mouth and cheek which required stitches.