Zoos need their animals just as much as they need visitors which is why so many of them had financial difficulties because of the lockdowns during the pandemic. It is the job of the zoo to keep their animals under control so that both the animals and the visitors to the zoo are safe. However, the actions of zoo visitors sometimes prove to be more annoying and sometimes dangerous than that of the animals. Some people ignore the reason why barriers are placed to keep the animals away from humans and do the unthinkable. Here is a look at 10 visitors that tried dumb things at zoos and regrated it.
The Jaguar Selfie
Barriers exist at zoos for a reason and the perfect selfie shouldn't be the reason why you risk your life at any zoo. In 2019, a woman visiting the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park in Arizona decided to have a selfie with the zoo's female jaguar. She couldn't get the 'perfect' shot behind the barrier, so she decided to jump over into the enclosure leaving only the second fence between her and the deadly cat. While posing for the photo, the cat got aggressive and swiped at her with her paw causing a huge gash on her left arm that was filmed by frightened onlookers. The zoo said sorry to her and her family but also said there was nothing they could do about people who jump over the barriers.
The Hat Saga At The Toronto Zoo
The hot sun, especially when you visit the zoo can be annoying which is why you should carry your sunscreen and a hat with you. However, if the wind blows your hat into the tiger enclosure, you should probably let it go and brave the heat until you can buy another one. In April 2016, a woman at the Toronto zoo decided that her hat was worth her life and jumped over the barrier to retrieve it. Other zoo visitors shouted at her telling her she was a moron as a tiger launched at her. However, there was a second fence that prevented the angry tiger from reaching her and she managed to climb safely over the barrier. It was still a scary ordeal and she should have known better.
The Chinese Man That Jumped Into The Panda Enclosure
Sometimes I try to impress women by doing crazy stuff to prove that I am brave, but the zoo is probably not the place to show off your bravery. In Oct 2016, a man was visiting the Nanchang Zoo in Jiangxi province, with two female companions when he decided to impress them by jumping into an enclosure housing a huge panda. Pandas are still bears and they don't take too well to humans invading their privacy. The panda bit him by the leg and wrestled him to the ground in an incident that was caught on camera. The man struggled to lift the heavy animal from his legs before taking off half-naked since his pants were torn to shreds. Those women were probably not so impressed afterwards.
A Swim With Spider Monkeys In Brazil
Some monkeys are playful and easy to pet but, in most cases, the ones you encounter at zoos will be naughty and aggressive. The worst monkey you would wish to get close to is the spider monkeys because they are very territorial and aggressive. A mechanic from Sao Paulo had a little too much to drink before visiting a local zoo where he decided to get a closer look at the monkeys. After jumping over the barrier and swimming to the monkeys, the aggressive primates attacked him and bit him badly on the arm and shoulder. He was bleeding profusely by the time the zoo staff rescued him and he had to go to the hospital afterwards. He was later arrested for reckless behaviour.
A Swim With Polar Bears At The Berlin Zoo
Back in 2009, a woman that visited the Berlin zoo made global headlines and has never been forgotten because videos of her ordeal still make rounds online. The woman named only as Mandy K jumped over three barriers before entering the pool where the bears were being fed. One of the bears took the opportunity to attack her and bit her backside. In the section caught on video, rescuers try to pull her out of the pool using life preservers and ropes but she falls back in allowing the bear to take more bites at her leg and hand. The rescuers finally managed to pull her out before she was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Skinny-Dipping With Sharks
This was obviously a stupid idea but, luckily, the man that tried it got out alive and only had to deal with the authorities. Toronto's Ripley's Aquarium is one of the biggest and most beautiful of its kind in the world. In 2018, during the museum's annual jazz night, a man decided to strip naked and jump into the shark tank for a swim. The man attracted the attention of the crowds who filmed his dangerous swim and posted it all over social media. He got out alive and allegedly bolted before the police could arrest him but he was later charged with trespassing, mischief and endangering of life.
Wrestling A Grizzly In Warsaw
During the pandemic, you would have hoped that people allowed to visit zoos would be at their best behaviour because it was such a rare opportunity but this man in Poland didn't. It happened in May 2020 when Poland eased Covid restrictions. A drunk man jumped into the bear enclosure at the Warsaw Zoo and attacked a bear named Sabrina who was generally nice to humans because she was a former circus bear. The man traumatized the animal by latching hard onto its ears and wrestling it before pushing it into the water and scrambling out of the enclosure. He was later fined $7,300 for animal cruelty and failing to wear a mask while at the zoo.
Kissing The Snake
When you get to hold pythons and let them coil around you at the zoo, it is easy to assume that they are docile and would enjoy a kiss but that is not exactly true. The video came from Phuket, Thailand where two snake handlers were showing off pythons to a group of Chinese tourists. One woman decided that touching the snake wasn't enough and decided to kiss it on the head. The snake must've thought that the woman wanted to eat it and launched quickly at her nose biting so hard that she needed stitches after the handlers successfully got the python off her face. The snake wasn't venomous though the bite wasn't life-threatening.
The Man Preaching To Lions At The Taipei Zoo
Lions probably need to hear the good word of God too, but that sermon should come from the other side of the barrier, not within the enclosure. In 2004, a man named Chen jumped into the lion enclosure at the Taipei Zoo and shouted "Jesus will save you," at the two lions in the enclosure. The male lion wasn't that interested in the sermon though as it launched at him and ripped off his jacket. The man who was later confirmed to have been a patient at a psychiatric facility in the city continued preaching to the lions to the shock of the onlookers. The staff had to use water horses and tranquillizer darts to tame the lions before the man could be saved from certain death.
Kidnapping A Penguin
Sometimes, people do stupid things for good reasons and end up regrating it and kidnapping a penguin would be one such idea because now you would have to create an ocean in your house to keep it alive. After a long night of drinking in 2012, two Welsh tourists broke into Queensland's Sea World theme park and caused havoc. They swam in the dolphin tank and then released a fire extinguisher into a shark enclosure but they luckily got off unharmed. Their worst idea that night was stealing a penguin with the hope of turning it into a pet. They found themselves with the penguin named Dirk the following morning and realized they couldn't recreate the conditions needed to keep it alive. They were arrested trying to release the kidnapped penguin into a canal and were finer 1000 Australian dollars each.
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