A safety wire at the National Zoo’s Lemur Island exhibit shocked a little girl at about 5 p.m. Monday, sending her to a nearby hospital.
Zoo officials said the girl was balancing on her father’s shoulders when she reached up and touched the overhead safety wire.
Smithsonian officials tested the wire after the incident, which is designed to be harmless to humans and animals, and is not high voltage. They did not find any problems with the voltage at the time of the incident.
The little girl was briefly taken to the Zoo’s Health Center before being taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution. Zoo officials said the girl was alert and responsive, and is expected to be OK.
