Jaguar Attacks Woman After She Enters Enclosure for a Selfie

Millennials come under fire often for making poor decisions and what happened over the weekend certainly isn’t helping the generation’s reputation. A woman in her 30’s is making headlines after being attacked in the jaguar enclosure at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park in Arizona.

The woman was reportedly attempting to get a better photo of the animals and crossed over a barrier, ignoring signs telling visitors to stay out. The jaguar reportedly lunged at the woman, catching her arm between its powerful jaws and sharp teeth. In a blurred out video of the incident, blood can be seen on the woman’s sweater as she lays on the ground while medical staff assessed her injuries.

The woman has another zoo-goer to thank for her rescue as they were able to distract the feline with a water bottle which the jaguar could be seen chomping on lazily after the abbreviated attack. The distraction allowed for the woman to get out of the jaguar’s territory.

Accidents of this nature are, unfortunately, nothing new in today’s technology-focused society. Between 2011 to 2017, 259 people died while attempting to take selfies in risky situations.

How is the zoo responding?

“We do not hold the jaguar responsible for what happened. It has been concluded that the injuries were caused by human error,” Kristy Morcom, a spokesperson for the zoo told the media.

The zoo also confirmed the woman is the second person the big cats have attacked because of a visitor not following the rules and warnings.

In 2015, zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio were forced to shoot and kill a gorilla named Harambe after a young boy accidentally squeezed through a barrier and into the ape’s enclosure. Harambe quickly grabbed up the boy, dragging him by his foot through water and brush. Given that male gorillas are known to kill their own children, zoo staff had no other choice in order to save the boy as the horrified public watched.

Thankfully, the woman who intentionally walked into the jaguar enclosure will recover — she’s since returned to the zoo to apologize, calling her actions “foolish” — and the Jaguars won’t be punished for the human’s stupidity.