After Arizona jaguar attack, expert reminds public of role in zoo safety

PHOENIX – The Phoenix-area wildlife zoo where two visitors reaching past an exhibit barrier have been injured by a jaguar in the past year could make changes to the structure, but it’s really up to people to be more aware of their actions, an animal expert said.

A woman was slashed by a jaguar last Saturday at the Wildlife World Zoo in the Phoenix suburb of Litchfield Park. She admitted to park officials she had crossed several feet past a protective barricade to take a selfie with the caged animal.

“There’s an understanding that people there are going to respect those barriers. When they don’t, bad things like this can happen,” Grey Stafford, a zoologist who used to work at the facility said Monday on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.

Please understand why barriers are put in place. Sending prayers to the family tonight. pic.twitter.com/2MPb8bXhwR

— Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019

The unidentified woman was clawed on the arm and needed stitches to close the gashes.

A zoo spokeswoman said the injured visitor had returned to the facility and said she felt bad about the publicity it was getting. The zoo issued a statement Monday on Twitter thanking people who supported the company for not euthanizing the jaguar.

pic.twitter.com/PwIOVwPL6T

— Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 11, 2019

“If you want help getting that photograph, talk to a staff member, maybe there’s something they can do to draw the animal’s attention closer,” Stafford said.

“That’s the the whole point of Wildlife World and zoos like it — to bring people closer together [to wildlife] in a way that’s safe.”

A man told ABC15 that he was swiped by the same big cat last year but that all he did was extend his arm to take video, not cross a barrier.

“I’m sure the zoo will look at all their exhibits with their predators … maybe they will look at that, add some distance there. But the real challenge is public education,” Stafford said.

The animals at the park, he said, “are not tame. They’re still every bit a jaguar. The jaguar is one of the most dangerous animals in North and South America, probably the most dangerous animal.”

Stafford said the jaguar was capable of attacking prey from land, sea and trees.

“You really want to respect those barriers and supervise your children to do the same.”

In January, a toddler fell through steel poles into a rhino enclosure at a Florida zoo.

The little girl was in her father’s arms and fell backward. Her head came into contact with the rhino’s snout.

Her father was able pull her back immediately.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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