There are many different opinions when it comes to zoos. Some people feel that it is cruel to keep animals confined in that way and other people love the ability to see those animals up close and personal.
One thing is certain, if it weren’t for animals being in the zoo, many of us would never have the opportunity to see them. In addition, not all zoos treat animals improperly and in many cases, they treat the animals quite well.
One of the things that many people do when they are at the zoo is to get a selfie with an animal in the background. That’s all well and good, but you need to be cautious if you are going to do it.
Let’s face it, no system is completely perfect and there are going to be times when accidents happen at the zoo. Sometimes, the zoo is to blame and at other times, it is the people who visit the zoo. There are even times when it is the zoo itself that has a degree of liability.
That is what brings us to the following story of a woman who was attacked by a jaguar. She was visiting the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari.
The woman, who was in her 30s, was trying to take a selfie with a big catch. Rather than simply doing so from behind the fence, she jumped the barrier and got up close and personal.
The problem is, the Jaguar reached out without any warning and attacked the woman. She had a lot of damage to her arms but was transported to the hospital and they were able to care for her needs.
Adam Wilkerson was on hand with his mother and two children when the incident happened. He was able to see what took place, and you get a better idea of the overall situation.
According to Wilkerson, he heard the woman screaming and the next thing he saw was the woman’s hand being grabbed by the Jaguar. He went on Reddit to share the story, writing, “It seems like pandemonium. Everyone yelling for help.”
His mother got busy trying to distract the Jaguar, doing so by throwing a water bottle into the enclosure. It had limited success, because the Jaguar let go of her arm.
Another man spoke with a local news crew saying that he had also been victimized by the same Jaguar. He was trying to take a video of the Jaguar at the time and he reached over the enclosure barrier. The animal attacked him.
That man had to get eight stitches and he tried to sue the zoo to put up stronger barriers between the animals and those who are visiting.
The director of the Wildlife World Zoo, Mickey Ollson said that the female jaguar had taken a swipe at zoo visitors a couple of times. It seems that the Jaguar is about five years old and they are not going to euthanize the animal. In his words, he would never harm an animal based on human behavior.
He also said: “I think you observe the barriers – they are there for a good reason.”
Zoo officials also posted on Twitter, saying: “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 animal’s fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family.”
