In a shocking incident, a woman from the United States climbed the fence into the Bengal tiger enclosure at the Cohanzick Zoo in New Jersey on Sunday around 2 pm. According to the Bridgeton Police Department, she tried to touch the tiger, "almost getting bit" in the process. The woman, dressed in a dark top and white shorts, was sticking her fingers through the inner fencing as the tiger paced only inches ahead of her.
In a video going viral on social media, the woman was seen trying to entice the wild animal and putting her hand through the enclosure. She was nearly attacked by the 500-pound tiger as it tried to bite her hand. She then swiftly moved back before the wild cat turned away.
LOOK: Bridgeton Police want to identify this woman, who climbed over the tiger enclosure's wooden fence at the Cohanzick Zoo “and began enticing the tiger, almost getting bit by putting her hand through the wire enclosure.” 1/4 pic.twitter.com/DPRFi5xFg1
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) August 21, 2024
The police department also posted the video, which has now been deleted, as per a report in People. Their Facebook post included a photo of a notice at the zoo near the enclosure that said, “Do not climb over the fence. Climbing over any zoo fence is against city ordinance 247-C.”
"Reminder to the public when visiting the zoo that it is against City Ordinance to climb over any fence," the police department added. According to the report, the ordinance states that a person can be banned or restricted from visiting the zoo.
John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told the outlet in a statement, "The high quality care of the animals, along with the safety of our guests and visitors, is our top priority. Any visitor behaviour that places the animals, staff and members of the public in a potentially dangerous situation is unacceptable and will be addressed accordingly."
According to the zoo’s website, they have two Bengal tigers, Rishi and Mahesha, brothers who came to the zoo as cubs in 2016. “The brothers were first described as, “Gorgeous and ornery,” by Bonnie Facemyer, who was the president of the Cohanzick Zoological Society at the time the cubs arrived. Weighing only around 20 pounds when they arrived, the tigers now weigh nearly 500 pounds each,” it said on the website.
Notably, Bengal tigers, also known as Indian tigers, are an endangered species. As of October 2022, it was believed that only about 3,500 of these remained in the wild. The tiger species is regarded as the second largest, after only the Siberian tiger.
