Man climbs into cougar cage at Ohio zoo, faces charges
GAHANNA, Ohio - An Ohio man is being charged with criminal trespassing after jumping into a cougar enclosure at an Ohio zoo on Monday, reports CBS Cleveland.
Joshua Newell was arrested after filming himself jumping into the enclosure, petting the cougars and posting to YouTube.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium released a statement saying, "It is fortunate that neither [Newell] nor the animals were harmed," reports the station.
Zoo president and CEO Tom Stalf said, "Barriers, like the fence line at the cougar habitat, are in place to keep our guests and animals safe." And, "The actions taken in this video were alarming and resulted in our decision to press charges."
According to the station, Newell said, "It was very spontaneous. ... I jumped the barrier and showed them some love. "Why would I be afraid?" and "They wanted me to pet them."
There is an investigation still going on to find out if Newell was alone while the video was filmed.