Child attacked by lemur at Jackson County petting zoo, father says
JAKSON COUNTY, Ga. - A toddler in Jackson County is recovering after the boy's father said a lemur attacked him at a petting zoo, sending him to the hospital.
Ronald Carroll, the boy's father, wants Half Moon Petting Zoo held accountable for his 17-month-old's injuries.
"He was looking at the lemurs, he was excited, he was happy, they were jumping around, and the owner had told us that, ‘If you want to go inside with the lemurs then you can go inside,’" Carroll said.
Carroll said he did just that while holding his son, Lawrence.
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"The lemur jumps on my son's head, starts attacking him, I tell the owner to let me out, and he opens the door up, and then I looked down and there’s just blood gushing out of my child’s head," Carroll said.
Ronald Carroll, who said his son was attacked by lemurs, wants Half Moon Petting Zoo held accountable for his 17-month-old's injuries.
The boy was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. It's unclear if the injury was from a bite or a scratch.
A pediatrician told Carroll the boy's risk of disease is likely low. Lawrence is taking antibiotics. Carroll said he was worried his son might have contracted an infection.
"All through the weekend, me and my wife were worried sick, no one has gotten the animals," Carroll said. "No one has tested the animals. Or wondering has my son has rabies does he have some other disease."
Half Moon Petting Zoo Owner Marek Alpold said he saw the whole incident.
"They can bite if they want to, but they’ve never bit anybody," Alpold said.
He said it's the lemurs' nature to jump on people inside the cage.
"The lemurs jumped on him like they jumped on you, and he backed away, he was scared," Alpold said. "I told him to take the child on the hand because they will jump. He said, ‘We know, we know.’"
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the toddler should never have been allowed in the cage. Carroll said he couldn't reach anyone from the DNR until Monday.
FOX 5 Atlanta's Rob DiRienzo asked the petting zoo owner if he thinks it's safe for a child to be around a lemur.
"Now I don’t think so," he responded.
State wildlife officials confirmed with FOX 5 Atlanta that they are investigating. They were expected to come out to the property on Monday to talk with the owner.