Wild video: Woman jumps over fence and “lures” tiger at South Jersey Zoo
A moment that could have ended in tragedy at a South Jersey zoo was caught on camera, and now police are trying to identify the woman responsible.
BRIDGETON, NJ – A moment that could have ended in tragedy at a South Jersey zoo was caught on camera, and now police are trying to identify the woman responsible.
According to police, the woman jumped over a wooden fence in the tiger enclosure during a visit to the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton.
Video showed her jumping over the fence and walking straight toward Mahesha, the zoo’s Bengal tiger, separated only by a fence. Police said she was nearly bitten when she put her hand through the wire mesh.
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The video shows the woman jumping back over the fence while the tiger jumps and runs back and forth.
Police search for woman in New Jersey zoo who was almost bitten by a tiger
According to police, the woman jumped over a wooden fence in the tiger enclosure during a visit to the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton.
A sign on the enclosure reads: “Do not climb over the fence. Climbing over zoo fences is a violation of City Ordinance 247-C.”
John Medica, director of recreation and public affairs for the city of Bridgeton, said they immediately turned the video over to police along with all of the zoo’s surveillance footage of the woman.
“It could have been really bad. There were children here who could have seen someone lose a hand or worse,” Medica explained. “I think she was trying to pet her and that’s not… that’s a no-go. If our animal had bitten her, the animal might have had to be euthanized and we’ve seen that before in the Jirambe case.”
Zookeeper Avery Menear cares for tigers Mahesha and Rishi like her own sons. She says tigers are dangerous animals and visitors must respect them. “I worry when people get that close. What will happen to both the tiger and the human? It’s super dangerous and I don’t want these animals to ever get hurt. I don’t want the public to get hurt. I want to keep that beautiful balance between people coming to the zoo and having fun and the animals enjoying their habitat.”
The Cohanzick Zoo hopes to identify the woman so she can face appropriate consequences while all attention now turns to welcoming new zoo visitors.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.
