An Uzbekistani woman has sparked outrage for throwing her three-year-old daughter into a bear enclosure at the zoo in the capital of Tashkent.

According to Mirror UK, the bear – named Zuzu – went up close and sniffed the little girl, but then wandered away, and was quickly enticed into an internal part of the cage so staff could rescue the child, said witnesses.

The zoo staff managed to lead the bear to a separate part of the enclosure and swooped in to rescue the child.

She has now being arrested and faces an attempted murder charge.

A spokesperson for the zoo said: “A young woman threw a little girl down into a brown bear’s enclosure, in front of all the visitors.

“It was completely unclear what her motive was. Both the visitors and the staff of the zoo were trying to stop her but failed.”

“We are scared to even think of how this would have ended if the bear were to see the toddler as its prey.

“Zuzu, a male Caucasian Brown Bear was watching the woman, who threw the little one over a metal fence. She fell into a trench under the fence. Zuzu slowly stood up, slowly moved down the trench, walked towards the girl, sniffed her and then walked back.”

The girl suffered a concussion, head cuts and bruises from her fall.

She was also suffering from a “light shock” but is currently in a stable condition in hospital, under constant observation.

The girl’s mother has been charged with attempted murder and could face a minimum of 15 years behind bars for her actions.