A woman who is believed to be the mother of a young boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinatti Zoo has spoken out about the incident.

The four-year-old boy dropped 12 feet into the enclosure and landed in front of Harambe the gorilla, who was subsequently shot and killed.

Zoo staff reacted immediately after reports that the 400lb gorilla was aggresively dragging the toddler through water.

Michelle Gregg, thought to be the boy's mum, responded on Facebook shortly after the incident. 

She said: "I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers today. What started off as a wonderful day turned into a scary one.

"For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that fell in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him.

"My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes... no broken bones or internal injuries."

She added: "As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids.

"Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today."

Animal lovers have reacted furiously to the incident, and eyewtinesses have alleged that the gorilla was not aggressive towards the child. Some argue that footage released later showed the Gorilla holding the boy's hand and protecting him.