Sign Up
..... Connect Australia with the world.
Categories

Posted: 2019-03-11 16:39:06
Schwarzer Jaguar

The jaguar (not this one) was temporarily removed from the exhibit after the incident.

Martin Sachse/ullstein bild via Getty Images

A woman survived a close encounter with a jaguar after trying to take a selfie with it at a Phoenix-area zoo on Saturday.

The big cat apparently got its claws around the woman's hand after she crossed a concrete barrier at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park and stepped near the cage to take the photo, a witness and authorities told CBS News.

Another visitor to the zoo in Litchfield Park, Arizona, reportedly managed to divert the jaguar's attention by jamming a water bottle into the cage, allowing the woman to pull her hand away. Cellphone video showed her writhing in pain on the ground in the aftermath.

The woman later characterized the incident as a "crazy accident" rather than an attack, but didn't admit to crossing the barrier, CBS noted. Her injuries were reportedly stitched up and she got out of the hospital Sunday, when she also apologized to the zoo owner.

The jaguar was removed from the exhibit as the zoo investigates what happened, and officials said it won't be put down because it wasn't to blame.

The zoo didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment.

It's hardly the first time someone's been attacked while trying to take a photo with an animal. A woman got too close to a Yellowstone National Park bison in 2015, and an Instagram model got bitten by a shark while swimming with it last year.

View More
  • 0 Comment(s)
Captcha Challenge
Reload Image
Type in the verification code above