Woman Climbs Into Zoo Enclosure And Taunts Lion

When you visit a zoo, it can be really tempting to get into an enclosure with one of the animals and have a cuddle.

They seem a hell of a lot more placid than in their wild setting, so surely they wouldn't mind a complete stranger coming to say hello, right? Obviously no one would be silly enough to do this because, well, we all know what happened to Harambe.

However, it seems like one woman was hellbent on getting close enough to an animal at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. But this wasn't just any animal that she was keen on seeing up close and personal...this was a goddamn lion.

Yes, an unidentified woman thought it was a good idea to hop over the enclosure barrier at the zoo to taunt a lion.

Thankfully she wasn't mauled to death or even injured because the lion just stood there stunned.

Instagrammer Real Sobrino captured the moment the woman hopped over the fence and waved at the animal, danced in front of it and started taunting it.

After posting a video of the encounter onto social media, people couldn't believe the woman's actions.

via GIPHY

One person wrote: "Absolute idiot. What I'm upset about is if the lion did anything to her, he'd probably be put down. What a selfish and stupid thing to do."

Another added: "What an ignorant person. They would've shot the lion to save her dumb ass I'm glad the lion survived this idiot human behaviour."

People have pointed out that the woman is standing in front of a trench that would have stopped the lion from attacking her. But if the animal did lash out at her, it could have fallen into the pit and injured itself.

"This action was a serious violation and unlawful trespass that could have resulted in serious injury or death," Bronx Zoo said in a statement to NBC News.

"Barriers and rules are in place to keep both visitors, staff and animals safe. We have a zero-tolerance policy on trespass and violation of barriers."

You only need to look at what happened to Harambe three years ago to see just how bad it can get when people interact with zoo animals. The gorilla was shot dead after a young boy fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, prompting international outrage.

So next time you see an animal that you'd love to pet, just close your eyes and do it in your mind.

Featured Image Credit: Real Sobrino/Instagram

Topics: Community, Animals

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie