Story highlights The 2-year-old boy suffered leg injuries after dropping 10-12 feet into pit

Zoo official: Eyewitnesses suggest boy was dangled over the rail

(CNN) Zoo officials in Cleveland are considering pushing for child endangerment charges against the parents of a 2-year-old boy who fell into a cheetah exhibit.

The boy suffered leg injuries after dropping 10-12 feet into the Cleveland Metropark Zoo's cheetah exhibit on Saturday afternoon.

The cheetah, with its distinctive black spots, is considered the world's fastest land mammal with speeds up to 68 mph.

"Unfortunately, we have a number of eyewitness accounts that point to the strong likelihood that the child was dangled over the rail," Dr. Christopher Kuhar, executive director of the zoo, told CNN affiliate WEWS

Kuhar says the child's parents quickly went into the exhibit after the fall happened and that the cheetahs made no attempt to interact with the child or his parents.

The Cleveland Fire Department said that the mother was holding two children when the 2-year-old fell inside but that the boy was already out of the pit when fire crews arrived.

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