Please understand why barriers are put in place. Sending prayers to the family tonight. pic.twitter.com/2MPb8bXhwR
— Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019
The woman in question, a visitor to the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park, took it upon herself to cross a walled barrier in order to get a better picture with a jaguar.
Of course, jaguars may be stunningly beautiful, and possessive of a dynamism all of us can appreciate, but they’re also devastatingly efficient predators, and to a big cat you or I, under the right circumstances, look suspiciously like food.
So it was that the jaguar in this instance reached out and grabbed the foolish woman with its claws. The woman sustained deep gashes on her arm and had to be taken to hospital.
CBS This Morning
The story quickly gained viral status online, with people not only scratching their heads as to how someone could be so daft, but also wondering what would now happen to the jaguar. It’s not unheard of for animals to be put down when things like this happen, and so many were worried the jaguar might lose its life.
Fortunately, however, the zoo confirmed earlier this week that the animal won’t face any penalty for its actions, rightly stating that the incident was the woman’s fault.
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 animals fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family.
— Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019
Watch the video below for more information:
We are, of course, wishing this young woman a speedy recovery, but we simply cannot condone her actions, nor side with anyone asking for the cat to be put down. It is, after all, a wild animal acting purely on instinct, which facilitates the need for security measures in the first place.
As humans we’ve had to learn to respect the power of nature throughout our history, and crossing borders to try and get better photos not only risks your own life, but that of the animals as well.
We’re just so thankful the jaguar won’t be put down!
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