Amur leopard
© WikipediaAmur leopard
A 7-year-old Wichita, Kan., boy on a zoo outing was mauled on the head and neck by a leopard after the first-grader climbed a railing separating the cage from the public, according to local news reports. The boy was hospitalized in fair condition.

The unidentified boy climbed over a four- to five-foot railing at the Sedgwick County Zoo and approached the Amur leopard, which then grabbed him with a paw or paws and tried to bite the boy, assistant zoo director Jim Marlett told The Wichita Eagle.

KSN-TV reports that witnesses said the leopard grabbed the boy with both paws and that a woman ran to the boy's rescue. Several school groups were at the zoo today.

The enclosure is eight feet from the protective railing. A sign outside the enclosure reads: "DANGEROUS ANIMALS: Please respect their space by staying on your side of the guardrail."

The Amur leopard, which lives in the Far East, is considered "critically endangered," with only 30 to 35 known to remain, according to Alta Amur Leopard Conservation.