Rock-Throwing Elephant Kills Young Zoogoer

A 7-year-old girl is dead after an elephant threw a rock at her Tuesday at a Moroccan zoo, the Telegraph reports. The unnamed girl was posing for a photo when she was struck in the head with a large rock. She suffered severe injuries and died at the hospital. According to the Washington Post, the Jardin Zoologique is denying responsibility for the girl's death. “These kinds of accidents are rare, unforeseeable, and unusual," the zoo states. A spokesperson points out the elephant's enclosure is up to international standards and the rock had to clear both a fence and a ditch in order to reach the girl. The scientific director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants tells the BBC this kind of behavior happens when "elephants are frustrated or bored." He says it's unlikely the elephant was actually trying to hurt the girl specifically. At this point, the zoo has no plans to euthanize the elephant. (More child death stories.)