Mahesh, the 230kg Bengal Tiger somehow managed to jump over the 12ft fence which surrounds its enclosure allowing it to come within 10 feet of the toddler. Before Zoo-Keepers managed to catch the tiger it roamed free around Zoo for about 20 minutes.
Ms Barrett said she walked around the corner to discover her daughter staring calmly into the eyes of the tiger.
When speaking to MSNBC she said: “Well the tiger was very calm and I didn’t want to make it anxious at all so I took a few steps towards her, picked her up, and walked in the other direction.”
The zoo has blamed the freak accident on a Gibbon named Watson, they said that the animal escaped from its cage and must have been agonising Mahesh, causing her to leap from her 12ft enclosure.