Over the weekend it was reported that a woman had been attacked by a black jaguar at the Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix, Arizona, after she decided it would be a good idea to climb over a safety barrier in an attempt to get a selfie with the animal.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, the woman was not seriously harmed, coming away with some lacerations and probably a life lesson about interacting with wild animals. All in all, it could have been a lot worse for her.
Footage of the incident has been shared online, showing the woman writhing around on the ground screaming as she clutched her wounds. Unfortunately for her, there hasn’t been much sympathy sent her way. Eyewitnesses clearly put her at fault in their statements, and the Wildlife World Zoo responded by reminding people that barriers around enclosures exist for a reason.
The jaguar in question has also been pardoned by the zoo, after a flurry of online concern that the animal would be euthanized as a result of the woman ignoring clear signage and obvious barriers. According to The Hill , Wildlife World Zoo responded to those concerns over Twitter with the following statement.
“We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar. She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe- not a wild animals fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family.”
A jaguar attacked a woman at an Arizona zoo after she crossed a barrier to take a photo, according to the zoo, which cited witnesses’ accounts https://t.co/Evcsi8Ofxs pic.twitter.com/XWFxvzUMge
— CNN (@CNN) March 11, 2019
Another Twitter user threatened never to visit the zoo again if the poor animal was put down over the incident. Following the assurance that the jaguar is safe, users profusely thanked the zoo for looking out for her well-being over the woman who potentially put the jaguar’s life at risk.
The woman had already climbed over one barrier, and was leaning over the wall to the enclosure to take the selfie when the jaguar attacked her arm, according to eyewitnesses. Her injuries were not life-threatening in any way, and the zoo issued their apologies to her for her wounds.
But their statements have shown little sympathy for her since, with constant reminders that wild animals are unpredictable and that signs and walls are there for the safety of both guests and the animals in their care.
Mickey Ollson, the director of Wildlife World Zoo, said that there is “no way to fix people crossing barriers.”
“That happens occasionally. We put substantial barriers there, and if people cross them they can get in trouble.”
The entire incident could have been avoided had simple safety signs been adhered to, but it seems unlikely the woman will try and get that close to a wild animal for a selfie again!
