Staff at Miller Park Zoo in Illinois are calling an incident in which a flamingo had to be put down after an elementary school student threw a rock into an enclosure housing the birds an “unfortunate accident,” according to a local newspaper.

Miller Park Zoo Superintendent Jay Tetzloff told local newspaper The Pantagraph that the child had skipped a rock into the habitat, breaking one of the flamingo's legs, which led to the bird’s unfortunate death.

According The Pantagraph, Tetzloff said that the Bird’s broken leg left the zoo no choice but to euthanize the animal.

"Unfortunately, staff determined the best course of action given the animal's injuries was to euthanize the bird," Tetzloff told the newspaper.

"This was a truly unfortunate accident, and we are working with the juvenile's family to move forward," said Tetzloff.

Tetzloff also told the newspaper that the zoo has no plans to change the layout of the exhibit following the incident.

