15 Times People Have Fallen Into Zoo Exhibits

11. Arkansas Boy Falls Into Jaguar Exhibit

In 2014, a little boy visiting the zoo with his father and grandfather fell 15 feet into a jaguar enclosure. It happened at the Little Rock Zoo in Little Rock, Arkansas, and somehow even though the three-year-old, whose name wasn’t released, wound up in a pit with the big cats, his father and grandfather reported only seeing his feet going over the rail. He had slipped under the rail while they were taking pictures. Other witnesses said they saw the two jaguars bite the boy on his neck and foot, but then, he was let go when his father and grandfather started throwing things at the cats. They hurled items like a camera bag and a water hose spool at the animals to get them to stop hurting the boy until zoo staff arrived via a ladder lowered into the exhibit. They used a fire extinguisher to get the jaguars away. The victim was reported to be in critical condition at the hospital and was treated for extensive scalp lacerations, a skull fracture, and minor puncture wounds. He went home after a week in the hospital.

10. Berlin Mother Swims With Polar Bears After Losing Her Job

At the Zoo Berlin in Berlin, Germany in 2009, zookeepers were moments away from shooting two polar bears who were attacking a woman who had jumped into their enclosure. The 32-year-old mother was identified only as “Mandy K” in the news, and she was saved by zookeepers who pushed one of the polar bears away. It was revealed later that she was depressed over the loss of her job, which is why she climbed over safety walls and began to swim in the polar bears’ moat during feeding time. One of the four polar bears in the enclosure jumped into the water and mauled and bit her, causing serious injuries to her arms and legs. At the time of her rescue, rifles had been issued to marksmen in preparation to shoot the animal, but it didn’t come to that. Zoo spokesperson Heiner Kloes said, “This woman’s behavior not only put her life in danger but also that of the staff who had to rescue her… we do have guns, and we would have been prepared to use them without hesitation if we felt it was the only way to save the woman.”

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