US | child endangerment Zoo: Mom Was Dangling Kid Who Fell in Cheetah Pit Parents could face child endangerment charges By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Apr 12, 2015 10:03 AM CDT Copied Two eleven-week old cheetahs sit next to their mother Alima in the Zoo of Basel, Switzerland, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Keystone, Patrick Straub) Zoo officials in Cleveland say a woman was dangling her 2-year-old son over a railing when he fell about 10 feet into a cheetah exhibit. "Unfortunately, we have a number of eyewitness accounts that point to the strong likelihood that the child was dangled over the rail," the executive director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo tells CNN. The toddler's parents jumped in and pulled him to safety yesterday afternoon. The director says the cheetahs didn't go toward the boy or his parents. Zoo officials say the boy hurt his leg in the fall. Cleveland Fire Department spokesman Larry Gray says the toddler was treated for bumps and bruises at a hospital. The zoo says Cleveland Metroparks plans to seek child endangerment charges against the mother. Read These Next In a city long marred by violence, a new bowling alley offers hope. Jimmy Fallon's pasta sauces are now kaput thanks to Epstein files. Cheating accusation, cursing roil curling match. His foundation could end up being a household name. Report an error