Little Rock Zoo: Locked Down After 3-Year-Old’s 16-Foot Fall Into Jaguar Exhibit, Suffering Severe Injuries [PHOTOS]

Little Rock Zoo went on lock down after a three-year-old boy fell down into the jaguar exhibit, suffering "extensive scalp lacerations, depressed skull fracture and minor puncture wounds." The incident at Little Rock Zoo occurred Friday around 10:45 a.m., according to a news release from the zoo.

The child's guardian, while visiting Little Rock Zoo, requested that the child's name and other information not be released, said Dan McFadden, Arkansas Children's Hospital spokesman in a news release Friday.

While the child was taken to the hospital with extensive scalp lacerations, a depressed skull fracture, and minor puncture wounds after falling at Little Rock Zoo, it still remains unclear whether the injuries came from the 16-foot fall or one of the cats, WREG reports.

The 3-year-old was severely injured from the fall, and zoo staff quickly called for help via radio, reported KFSM. According to officials, the Little Rock Police Department responded to Little Rock Zoo after reports came that a child had fallen into the jaguar pit.

Little Rock Zoo spokeswoman, Susan Altrui, said that more staff arrived shortly, and afterwards used a fire extinguisher to keep the jaguars from getting to the toddler, which it did successfully.

"Zoo staff are trained to use fire extinguishers to safely overwhelm potentially dangerous animals if an incident like this were to occur," according to a statement from the Little Rock Zoo.

An employee of Little Rock Zoo was lowered via ladder and pulled the child to safety. Altrui said the child was conscious and responded to the worker who came to down to the pit to rescue him.

The 3-year-old was turned over to his mother and father after the Little Rock Zoo employee climbed out of the jaguar exhibit with the child. The family was then taken to the zoo's back gate entrance with the use of a golf cart for the child to be placed in an ambulance and afterwards taken to the children's hospital, said the release.

Meanwhile, Little Rock City Manager, Bruce Moore, said employees of Little Rock Zoo properly adhered to procedures in the incident. The zoo was reportedly locked down for a period, but it went back open shortly after the occurrence.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and the family. The safety of our citizens is of paramount value and our staff followed training procedures on rescuing the child and were able to respond quickly and efficiently and work with emergency personnel," said Moore.

"A full investigation into the incident is being conducted," he concluded.

The child is currently recovering, reports CBS News. While officials did not detail how the toddler fell into the exhibit, KARK-TV reported a grandfather put the child on the railing which resulted in the fall.

The Little Rock Zoo Moore incident will still undergo a full investigation, said Moore.