Video: Woman wanted for jumping fence at NJ zoo trying to 'entice' tiger
BRIDGETON, N.J. - A moment that could have ended in tragedy at a South Jersey zoo was caught on camera, and now police are looking to identify the woman responsible.
Police say the woman jumped over a wooden fence at the tiger enclosure while visiting the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton.
Video showed her hopping over the fence and going right up to the zoo’s resident Bengal tiger, Mahesha, only separated by a fence. Police say she almost gets bit when she put her hand through the wire enclosure.
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Video shows the woman jumping back over the fence as the tiger leaps and paces back and forth.
A sign posted at the enclosure reads, "Do not climb over the fence. Climbing over any zoo fence is against city ordinance 247-C."
John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, says they immediately turned the video over to police, along with all of the zoo’s surveillance footage of the woman.
"It could’ve been really bad. There were children here that could’ve seen someone lose a hand or worse," Medica stated. "I think she was trying to pet them and that it’s no…that’s a no go. If our animal would’ve bitten her, the animal may have had to be euthanized and we saw that before with the Jirambe situation."
Animal keeper Avery Menear cares for the tigers Mahesha and Rishi like her own sons. She says tigers are dangerous animals and visitors must show them respect. "I worry when people get that close. What’s going to happen both to the tiger and to the person. It’s super dangerous and I don’t ever want to see these guys get hurt. I don’t want the public to get hurt. I want it to remain this nice balance of people coming in enjoying the zoo and these guys enjoying their where they live."
The Cohanzick Zoo is hoping for some accountability, to identify the woman, so she can face appropriate consequences, while all of the attention is now welcoming new visitors to the zoo.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.