Child, 2, seriously injured in tapir mauling at Dublin Zoo

A two-year-old child is in a serious condition in hospital after a shock attack by a tapir at Dublin Zoo ripped muscles from its arm.

The incident, which occurred yesterday afternoon, is understood to have left the child unconscious, and with deep stomach and arm injuries caused by the animal’s powerful jaw.

The child’s mother was also wounded after attempting to bring a halt to the extremely rare attack from the usually docile creature, which occurred during a supervised “encounter” visit to the Brazilian tapir enclosure.