Fw: Chimp in zoo tries to drag away Chinese boy

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Chimp in zoo tries to drag away Chinese boy

Sept 10, 2001

 

A chimpanzee at a zoo in eastern China tried to drag a four-year-old boy

into

his enclosure, prompting a 10-minute wrestle with passers-by who sought to

free

the child, state media reported Monday.

 

The boy's ordeal began when he tried to hand the chimp a piece of bread

at

Hangzhou Zoo in Zhejiang Province, the Xinhua news agency said.

 

The ape sank its teeth into the child's right arm and tried to drag him

away,

the agency said, quoting local media reports.

 

A neighbour, who had taken the child for the weekend trip to the zoo,

along

with other people nearby, had to pull the boy back, but it took a 10-minute

" fight " to free him.

 

The child suffered injuries to his arm which could affect the function of

his

wrist and thumb, Xinhua said.

 

While the boy, named as Cheng Cheng, was in shock -- " The chimp is

terrible

and I dare not to visit it again " he reportedly said after an operation on

his

arm -- zoo officials said the public should not feed the animals.