Chilling footage has surfaced online showing a woman scaling a fence and confronting a tiger at a New Jersey zoo.
Authorities are now searching for the visitor who entered the tiger enclosure, apparently aiming to get close to the big cat. The incident nearly resulted in a severe accident.
A video of the bizarre incident at Cohanzick Zoo was posted on Facebook by the Bridgeton Police Department on Tuesday, August 20. The footage shows the woman climbing over a wooden fence to touch the predator, nearly getting bitten in the process.
The footage captures the woman attempting to provoke the tiger by reaching her hand through the wires that keep the animal contained.
The tiger sniffed her hand for a moment before lunging and trying to bite the snack she appeared to be offering.
She quickly recoiled as the tiger lunged, then the big cat turned away. She jumped back over the roughly four-foot-high wooden fence to escape.
The Facebook post from local authorities included a photo of a sign near the tiger enclosure that read: “Do not climb over the fence. Climbing over any zoo fence is against city ordinance 247-C.”
In their statement following the incident, the police department reminded the public that climbing over any fence at the zoo is a violation of City Ordinance.
In a later statement, the police reported: “A woman at the Cohanzick Zoo climbed over the wooden fence of the tiger enclosure and began taunting the tiger by reaching her hand through the wire barrier, nearly getting bitten.”
They posted the video on social media, hoping someone would recognize her and provide anonymous tips through their official website.
According to local media outlet News 12 New Jersey, such actions could result in a ban or restriction from the zoo.
John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told People in a statement: “Any visitor behavior that endangers the animals, staff, or other members of the public is unacceptable and will be dealt with appropriately.”
Bridgeton is located 50 miles south of Philadelphia, and Cohanzick Zoo, which opened in 1934, prides itself as the first zoo in New Jersey.
It now houses around 45 species of animals, including leopards, bears, and mountain lions, among others.
The zoo’s website reveals that the tiger involved is one of two Bengal tigers born in 2016 and donated by a zoo in North Carolina in 2017.
