The 2-year-old who stumbled into the Brevard Zoo rhino exhibit on New Year's Day continues to recover at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, according to a statement issued by her father.

Brevard Zoo officials are continuing to review its safety procedures following the incident — the first of its kind since the facility opened over two decades ago. It was also the latest such incident nationally to garner attention over zoo safety.

The child's father issued a statement through the hospital's public information office Wednesday saying that his daughter was doing well. Neither he, his daughter nor his wife have been identified.

“Today has been a trying day for our family. We’re thankful to everyone who has reached out with their concerns,” the statement reads.



“Our daughter is in good care at Arnold Palmer Hospital and is doing well. My wife was also treated for her injury and has been released from the hospital. At this time, we ask for privacy as we focus on our daughter’s recovery.”

The girl and her mother were transported to separate hospitals to be treated for injuries sustained in the incident. No information is available on how the mother was injured. The nature of their injuries has not been released.

What happened

The family of three was participating in a hands-on experience in which guests can get up close to rhinos, petting them and brushing them by reaching between large steel poles to touch the rhinoceroses.

The girl was small enough to fall backward between the poles, which stand approximately 11 inches apart, according to the zoo's executive director, Keith Winsten.

The encounter area is 200 square-feet, zoo officials said.

The girl's father had been holding onto her at the time she fell and was able to pull her back almost as soon as she went into the enclosure, Winsten said.

When that happened, one of the female white rhinos turned her head and her snout made contact with the girl. Winsten said zoo officials do not believe the rhino's horn hit the girl. There Is no surveillance video of the incident, zoo officials said.

Hands-on exhibits suspended

The Brevard Zoo has been operating since March 1994 and has about 900 animals on exhibit or on its grounds. The rhinos — two males, Frankie and Howard and two females, Kibbi and Uzuri — remain on exhibit but are not scheduled for any visitor encounters for the foreseeable future.

“All of our encounters are suspended at this time as we go over our policies and procedures,” said Andrea Hill, spokeswoman for the zoo. “This is the first incident.”

Last year, 464,000 people visited the zoo, which is nestled along the commercial corridor along Wickham Road near Interstate 95. The zoo is accredited by the Maryland-based Association of Zoos & Aquariums and was accredited again last year. The rhinos and the zebra yard is 26,000 square-feet.

The coveted accreditation listing means that the Brevard Zoo has been evaluated for meeting a set group of standards for protecting wildlife and providing safety for visitors.

"(Brevard Zoo) had to go through a very rigorous accreditation process, including how they care for animals, their relationship with the community. Safety is also a part of that evaluation," said Rob Vernon, spokesman for the association.

"That's probably why this situation was resolved quickly," said Vernon, adding that incidents like the one involving the rhino exhibit are rare.

Safety at zoos

The most recent incident to raise safety concerns at zoos and other facilities housing animals for the exhibit was last month when a 22-year-old intern was mauled by a lion at a North Carolina conservation center. In that case, the intern was cleaning an enclosure when a lion escaped from a locked space. That facility was not accredited by the AZA, Vernon said.

One of the most notable cases involving a close encounter with an animal at a zoo took place in 2016 at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. In that case, a 3-year-old boy slipped and fell into an exhibit housing a 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe. The gorilla dragged the child through water, prompting zoo workers to shoot and kill the gorilla, sparking outrage from animal rights activists.

At the Brevard Zoo, workers typically feed the rhinos — who are herbivores — a steady diet of hay and grasses. The female white rhinos can reach weights of between 4,000 and 4,400 pounds.

"They're such big, powerful animals. I can tell you white rhinos are very dog-like in their behavior," Winsten said. "They're gonna react to anything new in their environment that startles them.



"Anytime something that large makes contact with a person, there is an opportunity to get hurt," he said.



Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers also were at the zoo Tuesday. The agency oversees zoo safety around the state. FWC officers measured the circumference and spacing of the metal poles Tuesday.

"Anytime there's an incident... it's our job to call them and they send out a team immediately," Winsten said. "Of course we work hand-in-hand with them."

Contact Vazquez at tvazquez@floridatoday.com, 321-917-7491 or on Twitter @tyler_vazquez.