Jaguar Attacks a Woman Taking Selfie at Wildlife World Zoo

A jaguar attacked a woman when she was apparently trying to click a Selfie of herself near the jaguar’s enclosure at Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona. Though she has survived with little injuries and is recovering in hospital, it gave her a lesson for a lifetime, not to play Selfies in sensitive areas.

The Rural Metro Fire Department that rescued the woman said that the woman who is in her 30s, climbed over a barrier at the zoo to get closer to the jaguar’s enclosure so that she could click a Selfie with the animal. At that time, the jaguar reached out to her and grabbed her arm with its paw.

Later Rural Metro Fire Department spokesperson Shawn Gilleland said the woman, was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

On the other hand, Wildlife World Zoo said in a statement that a female jaguar at the zoo in Litchfield Park injured a visitor. The officials also said the attack is under investigation but noted that the animal was not outside its enclosure. Officials tweeted, “Please understand why barriers are put in place. Sending prayers to the family tonight”.

Eyewitness, Adam Wilkerson said that he and his mother were visiting the zoo, when they heard a woman’s scream and ran for help. Adam said, “My mom runs up and takes her water bottle and shoves it through the cage near where the jaguar is, and the jaguar goes to let go of the girl to take the water bottle, and the claw just catches this girl's sweater. So at that point I see that it’s no longer attached to the girl’s actual arm, only on her sweater, so I grab the girl on her torso and I pull her back”.

Adam, who also captured some video aftermath the incident said, that the woman was “lying on the ground, screaming in agony”.

Zoo owner Mickey Ollson said that about a year ago, the big cat scratched another guest who also had crossed the barrier. He said, “There is no way to fix people crossing barriers. That happens occasionally. And we put substantial barriers there and if people cross them, they can get in trouble”.

Last year a male jaguar escaped from an enclosure at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and went into a rampage, killing nine other animals in the zoo, which includes five alpaca, three foxes and an emu.

Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium, houses more than 600 species of animals and the huge aquarium has more than 75 exhibits, including stingrays, penguins and sharks.