Zoo: Mom Was Dangling Kid Who Fell in Cheetah Pit

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. (More child endangerment stories.)