A terrified three-year-old girl had her arm bitten off by a bear when she put it into the beast's enclosure in a city zoo.
The girl had been visiting the zoo in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, with her family, local media reported on October 18.
She was rushed to a hospital in Sulaymaniyah, where, at the time of reporting, she was waiting to undergo surgery, said local media.
Shocking hospital images of the girl - whose name has not been released - show her on a trolley with what remains of her arm heavily bandaged.
Huge bloodstains can be seen on the front of her white T-shirt.
Local media reports said officials ordered the zoo to be temporarily closed while an investigation takes place and safety procedures are reviewed and tightened.
On social media, Iraqis were reportedly divided over who should be blamed.
Some reportedly accused the girl's parents of negligence for allowing her to put her arm through the fence.
Others, however, said the blame lay with the zoo's management for its apparently inadequate safety measures.
The investigation is ongoing.
It comes after a one-year-old girl was killed and her mum left fighting for her life after a rare giraffe attack in South Africa.
The mother, 25, and baby had been visiting a safari park near Durban, South Africa, on Wednesday afternoon when they were set upon by the towering mammal.
Police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala told AFP that a 25-year-old mother and her 16-month-old daughter were attacked at around 2pm GMT in Kuleni Game Park.
She said the girl was taken to a nearby doctor's practice before she passed away, while the mother remained in a critical condition after being rushed to hospital.
Police have since launched an investigation into the baby's death.
