Jaguar Attacks Woman Who Crossed Barrier To Take Selfie At Arizona Zoo
PHOENIX (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A jaguar attacked a woman who crossed a barrier while trying to take a photo Saturday at a wildlife park west of Phoenix, authorities say.
According to the Rural Metro Fire Department, the woman was trying to "take a selfie near the fence of the jaguar enclosure when the cat reached out and attacked her arm."
Wildlife World Zoo authorities say emergency responders took the woman to the hospital to treat a laceration on her arm. CBS affiliate KPHO reports the woman is expected to recover.
Zoo officials say the jaguar never got out of her enclosure and won't be put down because of the incident, which is being fully investigated.
"There's no way to fix people crossing barriers," the zoo's director, Mickey Ollson, told KPHO. "That happens occasionally. We put substantial barriers there, and if people cross them, they can get in trouble."
The aftermath of the incident was captured on video by Adam Wilkerson, whose video is spreading across social media. The video clearly shows a laceration on the woman's arm as she cries in pain while officials try to help her.
"My mom runs up and takes her water bottle and shoves it through the cage near where the jaguar is, and the jaguar goes to let go of the girl to take the water bottle, and the claw just catches this girl's sweater," Wilkerson told KPHO. "So at that point I see that it's no longer attached to the girl's actual arm, only on her sweater, so I grab the girl on her torso and I pull her back."
Zoo officials say the barrier meets federal standards.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
