Boy falls in lion pit at Boston zoo
BOSTON – A teenage boy visiting a zoo Wednesday fell into a lion pit that’s part of a set for the upcoming Kevin James and Adam Sandler movie The Zookeeper, but he wasn’t badly hurt.
No animals were in the area at the time of the accident at the Franklin Park Zoo, spokeswoman Brooke Wardrop said, and the movie crew wasn’t on the set.
The 16-year-old boy tumbled about 25 feet into the pit, where a net broke his fall, and his injuries weren’t considered life-threatening, said fire department spokesman Steve MacDonald.
The initial emergency call to firefighters was about a person who had fallen into a zoo’s lion pit, MacDonald said.
“You know, you start having these images of animals outside, but once the officials assured us that there were no animals at all, it pretty much became a standard extrication from a hole,” he said.
When firefighters arrived, there was a movie set medic with the boy, who was conscious and talking as emergency workers put him on a stretcher before taking him to a hospital.
The boy, MacDonald said, was in an area where he shouldn’t have been and wasn’t working for the movie, which features James, the former star of the CBS sitcom The King of Queens, as a zookeeper unlucky at love.
Zoo officials were investigating the afternoon incident, which occurred in an old gorilla exhibit known as the Lion’s Den for the movie.
More Stories
DeSantis announces goal to minimize diversity efforts in higher education, USF’s response unclear
Following a request to the state’s public universities in late December to detail costs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT), Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez announced Tuesday that the state will attempt to curb DEI efforts in higher education. As of Wednesday, USF hasn’t responded to the governor’s new plans […]
Recent anti-abortion legislation produces mixed reactions from student orgs
Following a rise in legislation targeting abortion such as the Born-Alive abortion bill, students continue to be placed in difficult situations as they may lack the money and transportation necessary when seeking an abortion, according to Planned Parenthood Generation Action president Prachi Misra. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, passed Jan. 11 in the House […]
Lone candidate in search announced as provost
Prasant Mohapatra, vice chancellor for research at the University of California, Davis, will start as the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs on March 1, according to a Monday universitywide email. Mohapatra was the only candidate in the running for the position, as the original search that occurred last fall was scrapped when […]
DeSantis requests data from USF Health on transgender students
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office of Planning and Budget’s new survey requested that 12 Florida public universities release information about its students that sought “gender-affirming” care in the last five years – USF’s campuses and USF Health ranked at the top of the list. The official release of the survey did not state DeSantis’ objective in […]
Law officially inaugurated as USF’s eight president in ceremony
President Rhea Law was inducted as USF’s eighth president during her investiture ceremony on Thursday. During her address to attendees, Law emphasized the importance of USF’s growth, as well as what it has achieved in recent years and the role of community in facilitating such success. “We’ve transformed from a small commuter school into a […]
‘Increase Black enrollment now’: Protestors interrupt Law’s inauguration
A group of six protesters with the Students for a Democratic Society disrupted Rhea Law’s inauguration ceremony on Thursday right before she received the President’s Chain of Office. The protesters held up a black banner that read “We won’t wait. Increase Black enrollment” while repeatedly chanting “Increase Black enrollment now.” Board of Trustees Chair Will […]