Florida Man Clawed by Jaguar After Crossing Zoo Barrier

A jaguar had clawed a Florida man after the visitor had jumped a zoo barrier and stuck his hand inside the jaguar exhibit.

It happened at the Jacksonville Zoo. The man was not identified.

However, Jacksonville Fire-Rescue said that he was in his 20s and had acquired non-life-threatening injuries and is seen to survive, according to a People report.

Four feet of empty space was provided between the visitors and the jaguar enclosure. However, the man managed to jump over, according to the zoo's spokeswoman, Kelly Rouillard.

She added that the man had started taunting the jaguar and reached his hand through the fence.

The 12-year-old jaguar named Harry clawed the man and injured him. The spokeswoman said that the jaguar was acting as part of his normal behavior for a wild animal.

Rouillard added that it did not expect anything to happen to him, according to an Associated Press News report.

Officials also confirmed that Harry was involved in a fight that left another jaguar dead earlier this year.

Deputy zoo director Dan Maloney said that the man was not using his head. Maloney added that the man had stuck his hand in through the mesh that separates the jaguars from the outside, according to a New York Post report.

One zoogoer had seen employees cleaning up a trail of blood after the man was carried out, according to one report.

It was lucky that the jaguar did not hold on to the man as it would have been a different story, according to Maloney.

Officials had reminded zoo visitors that it is advised they do not engage with animals or try to jump over fences that were installed for their safety.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville Zoo did not immediately respond to the request to comment on the matter.

Zoo Attacks

Tragedy can ensue when humans get too close to wild animals at the zoo, such as the case in some zoos around the world.

In San Francisco Zoo, a 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana managed to escape its cage in 2007. The tiger had killed one out of the three men it mauled, according to an ABC News report.

A 17-year-old from San Jose, California was killed, while the other two had to undergo surgery to treat their wounds.

Authorities were unsure how the tiger managed to escape. However, it was clear that the feline traveled over a 20-foot wall and a 15-foot moat.

At first, authorities worried that four of the zoo's five tigers had escaped. However, they learned later on that Tatiana was the only one loose.

Employees and visitors were told to take shelter when zoo officials learned of the attacks.

Tatiana was sitting beside one of the surviving victims near the zoo's café. When Tatiana moved towards the officers, they opened fire and killed the tiger.

In 2009, a Polar Bear in Berlin Zoo bit a woman's back after the visitor had jumped a fence and entered a polar bear enclosure during feeding time. She was pulled to safety and treated for severe injuries.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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