A woman who was said to be in her 30s was attacked by a jaguar Saturday evening at Wildlife World near Phoenix, according to reports. The woman, who had been near a fence of the jaguar’s enclosure, was attempting to snap a photo when the animal suddenly attacked, FOX 10 of Phoenix reported. She was taken to a hospital for injuries that were described as non-life-threatening, the report said. Paramedics said she had lacerations on one of her arms, the Arizona Republic reported. Nevertheless, the encounter with the wild animal was a frightening moment, one witness told FOX 10. "I hear this young girl screaming 'Help! Help! Help!,' and without thinking, I just run over there,” Adam Wilkerson said. “I see another girl with her up against the cage of the jaguar and the jaguar has clasped its claws outside of the cage around her hand and into her flesh. TUG-OF-WAR WITH A LION: UK ZOO'S BIZARRE BIG CAT CHALLENGE SPARKS BACKLASH "I hear this young girl screaming 'Help! Help! Help!,' and without thinking, I just run over there.” — Adam Wilkerson, witness who assisted zoo visitor "My mom thinks of how to distract the jaguar and she grabs her water bottle and she shoves it through the cage, right near where the jaguar is," Wilkerson continued. "The jaguar lets go of the girl somewhat because the claw catches on just her sweater. At that moment, I grabbed the girl around the torso and pulled her away from the cage and it unlatches from her claw. The jaguar just goes after the bottle.” No further information was available about the woman or her medical condition, the report said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Later, the zoo issued the following statement: "We regret to inform that this evening, before closing there was an incident reported involving a guest, who crossed over the barrier to get a photo, according to eyewitnesses. The visitor sustained non-life threatening injuries to their hand from one of our female jaguars. At the request of the family, paramedics were called. At no time was the animal out of its enclosure. The incident is being fully investigated."<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Authorities say a jaguar attacked a woman who crossed a barrier while trying to take a photo Saturday at a wildlife park west of Phoenix Ariz. Wildlife World Zoo authorities say emergency responders took the woman to a hospital to treat cuts on one of her arms and hand. Zoo officials say the jaguar never got out of its enclosure and won’t be put down because of the incident, which is being fully investigated. The private facility has more than 600 species and 6,000 animals on display. READ MORE: Family runs from cheetahs after getting out of car at safari park to take pictures The woman’s name, age and hometown weren’t immediately available. WATCH: Arizona zoo officials say jaguar not to blame after woman taking photo is mauled 1:04 Arizona zoo officials say jagaur not to blame after woman taking photo is mauled Arizona zoo officials say jagaur not to blame after woman taking photo is mauled – Mar 11, 2019 Advertisement<doc-sep>A mural of George Floyd is shown in the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community members continue preparations during the third day in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with multiple counts of murder in the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 01: President Donald Trump's lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the White House West Wing July 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Giuliani did an on-camera interview with One America News Network's Chanel Rion before talking to other journalists about Vice President Joe Biden and the news that Russian intelligence may have paid Taliban operatives to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Former President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 28, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Begun in 1974, CPAC brings together conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders to discuss issues important to them. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Here's what reported grand jury in Trump case may look like NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 09: People walk past the Trump Tower as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins in Washington on February 09, 2021 in New York City. After listening to nearly four hours of legal arguments, the Senate has voted on Tuesday to move ahead with the impeachment trial of former President Trump. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the conflict in the Middle East from Cross- Hall of the White House on May 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Israel and Hamas announced that they would agree to a cease-fire, which will take into effect on Friday, following days of fighting that claimed more than 200 lives. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 26: A view of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light-rail yard where a mass shooting occurred on May 26, 2021 in San Jose, California. A VTA employee opened fire at the yard, with preliminary reports indicating nine people dead including the gunman. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images) A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Pfizer/BioNTEch coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Ontario on December 14, 2020. - Ontario, Canada's most populous province and one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, had 1,940 new cases and 23 deaths on Monday. The province is expected to give its next doses to nursing home workers as a priority, according to media reports. (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 'Never seen levels like this': Union president on airline passenger misconduct Memorial Day weekend will bring rain and cool air for much of the East (CNN) — A woman who was attacked by a jaguar at an Arizona zoo has apologized for the incident, according to a zoo spokeswoman. The woman returned to the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park following the attack and said she “feels horrible about the bad publicity the zoo is getting regarding the incident,” spokeswoman Kristy Morcum said according to CNN affiliates KTVK and KPHO. Morcum said the woman apologized and admitted fault. The zoo, citing witness accounts, has said the woman crossed over a barrier to get a photo and was attacked by a female jaguar. The attack happened Saturday evening, said Shawn Gilleland of the Rural Metro Fire Department. The woman was injured and required medical attention, according to the fire department. “The visitor sustained non-life threatening injuries to their arm from one of our female jaguars. At the request of the family, paramedics were called. At no time was the animal out of its enclosure … please understand why barriers are put in place. Sending prayers to the family tonight,” the zoo tweeted. The woman, who is in her 30s, was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive, CNN affiliate KPHO reported. Citing the fire department, the affiliate said the woman was trying to take a selfie near the fence of the jaguar enclosure when the animal reached out and attacked her arm. Witness describes horrifying attack Adam Wilkerson said he was at the zoo with his family when someone came running around the corner yelling for help. “Without thinking, I had no idea what I was going to see, I just ran over there,” he said. “I saw the other girl up against the fence with her arm caught in the jaguar’s claws.” Wilkerson said he was standing behind the woman, but didn’t want to pull her off. “I could see the claws in her actual flesh,” he said. In an effort to distract the jaguar, Wilkerson said, his mother ran up behind him and shoved her water bottle through the cage. The bottle distracted the jaguar, and it let go of the victim. “When my mom put the water bottle through the gate, the jaguar let go of the girl. And we pulled the girl back and she collapsed,” he said. In a 911 call obtained by CNN, a zoo employee can be heard saying the woman’s arm was in “pretty bad shape.” “She’s doing OK … but her arm is like bad,” the employee told the dispatcher. The employee also said the woman’s arm had been under pressure. “She’s in pain, like really bad pain,” the employee said. Wilkerson did not see the actual attack and could not comment on how the victim got so close to the animal. There were no employees nearby during the incident, Wilkerson said. Wildlife World Zoo tweeted on Saturday that the jaguar would not be put down as a result of the incident. We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar. She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe- not a wild animals fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family. — Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019 “We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar,” the zoo said. “She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe – not a wild animal’s fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family.” Litchfield Park is about 20 miles from Phoenix. CNN’s Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
A woman was attacked by a jaguar as she was apparently trying to get a photo outside the big cat’s enclosure at Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona, authorities said. Shawn Gilleland, a spokesman for the Rural Metro Fire Department, told the Washington Post on Sunday that fire crews said the woman, who is in her 30s, climbed over a barrier at the zoo Saturday to get closer to the jaguar’s enclosure so she could get a selfie with the animal. The jaguar reached out and grabbed her arm with its paw, leaving lacerations, Gilleland said. Gilleland said the woman, who was not publicly identified, was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Officials with Wildlife World Zoo said in a statement that a guest was injured by a female jaguar at the zoo in Litchfield Park, not far from Phoenix. Officials said the attack was under investigation but noted that the animal was not outside her enclosure at any time. “Please understand why barriers are put in place,” officials tweeted. “Sending prayers to the family tonight.” One witness, Adam Wilkerson, told AZFamily.com that he and his mother heard the woman scream Saturday evening and ran to help. “My mom runs up and takes her water bottle and shoves it through the cage near where the jaguar is, and the jaguar goes to let go of the girl to take the water bottle, and the claw just catches this girl’s sweater,” he told the news organization. “So at that point I see that it’s no longer attached to the girl’s actual arm, only on her sweater, so I grab the girl on her torso and I pull her back.” Wilkerson, who captured some of the aftermath on video, added that the woman was “lying on the ground, screaming in agony.” Zoo owner Mickey Ollson told AZFamily.com that, about a year ago, the big cat scratched another guest who also had crossed the barrier. “There’s no way to fix people crossing barriers,” Ollson told the news organization. “That happens occasionally. And we put substantial barriers there, and if people cross them, they can get in trouble.” Last summer, a male jaguar escaped from an enclosure at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and went on a rampage, killing nine other animals at the zoo: five alpaca, three foxes and an emu. On Sunday, the president of the Humane Society of the United States urged zoos to “set a higher standard to protect people and to respect wildlife from a safe distance.” “People get the mistaken idea that wild animals are approachable,” Kitty Block said in a statement. “Throw in a healthy dose of poor judgment, and incidents like this are bound to happen.” Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium houses more than 600 species, and the aquarium has over 75 exhibits, including stingrays, penguins and sharks, according to the zoo’s Facebook page. Ollson told AZFamily.com that zoo officials would look at whether more barriers should be added to the exhibits to keep guests away from the animals. On Sunday, the zoo assured people that “nothing will happen to our jaguar.” “She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe,” the zoo tweeted. “Not a wild animal’s fault when barriers are crossed.” Lindsey Bever writes for the Washington Post. WILDLIFE: Gray wolf may be stripped of endangered species protections »