A jaguar attacked a woman who crossed a barrier to take a photo with the animal at an Arizona zoo Saturday evening, officials said. The woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the attack at the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, about 20 miles outside of Phoenix. The Rural Metro Fire Department said the woman attempted to "take a selfie near the fence of the Jaguar enclosure when the cat reached out and attacked her arm." The zoo tweeted a statement saying paramedics were called at the request of the woman's family, and at no point was the jaguar out of its enclosure. The woman, who is in her 30s, was taken to a local hospital after suffering a laceration on her arm. She is expected to recover, CBS affiliate KPHO-TV reported. "There's no way to fix people crossing barriers," Mickey Ollson, the zoo's director, told KPHO. "That happens occasionally. We put substantial barriers there, and if people cross them, they can get in trouble." Ollson said this is the second time the same jaguar hurt a park visitor who crossed the barrier. The zoo is considering adding additional barriers to prevent further incidents. This image shows the jaguar at Wildlife World Zoo on Sat., March 9, 2019. Adam Wilkerson via KPHO-TV Adam Wilkerson captured the aftermath of the attack on video. The recording clearly showed the woman's laceration on her arm. She lies on the ground screaming in pain while others surround her. Wilkerson said he heard the woman screaming for help and his mother rushed over to distract the jaguar. "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 KPHO. "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." Zoo officials told CBS News the barrier meets federal standards. They said the jaguar has been removed from the exhibit, and will not be euthanized. Ileana Diaz contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Jaguars are opportunistic hunters that prey on more than 85 species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their habitat ranges from the jungles of Central and South America, where they are considered “near threatened” by the IUCN, to the southern regions of Arizona and New Mexico, where they are listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lions and tigers are the only big cats that are bigger than jaguars, making the felines the biggest in the Americas.<doc-sep>Image : A friggin’ jaguar. ( iStock ) See that scary-ass black cat? That’s not a dry seal or some kind of deceptively cuddly anime character. That’s a damn jaguar. Advertisement Thanks to those among us who enjoy their potato salad as white as Dow Jones’ editorial staff, we’ve another predictable interaction between dangerous predatory animals and adventurous white folks. Animals, who jumped out to an early, seemingly insurmountable lead over humankind millions of years a go, have seen the win gap closed by disease, pollution, and the advent of human weaponry. With humans inventing new and gruesome ways to kill each other at a breakneck pace, the war between man and beast seems all but decided in favor of the most violent animals of all. But rest assured, haughty humans: animals have never stopped waiting for the moment to rock our shit. Anytime. Anywhere. A jaguar at the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, Ariz. attacked a woman who jumped the perfectly good barrier protecting her from the jaguar’s natural propensity to attack other animals that enter its field of vision. The woman, who is in her 30s and expected to survive cause and effect, hopped the barrier to take a photo when she was attacked by a female jaguar. Advertisement Yes, she was. Advertisement “The visitor sustained non-life threatening injuries to their arm from one of our female jaguars,” the zoo said via Twitter. “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,.” Advertisement Citing the fire department, CNN affiliate KPHO reported that the woman was trying to take a selfie near the fence of the gotdamn jaguar enclosure when the animal attacked her arm. Adam Wilkerson, whose video of the fence hopping aftermath made rounds via social media, was at the zoo with his family when someone ran around the corner shouting for help. Advertisement “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 there arm caught in the jaguar’s claws.” Wilkerson’s mother distracted the big cat with her water bottle, allowing Wilkerson to pull Insane Goodall away. Advertisement When asked whether the jaguar had hurt any other humans, facility founder Mickey Ollson told CNN “she had scratched a person once before, when they crossed the barrier.”<doc-sep>A woman was attacked by a jaguar as she allegedly tried to take a selfie outside the big cat’s enclosure at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park in Arizona, authorities said. Rural Metro Fire Department crews said the woman, who was not publicly identified and is in her 30s, was attempting to take a selfie near the fence of the jaguar enclosure when the cat reached out and attacked her arm. At no time was the animal out of its enclosure, Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park in Arizona said in a statement, adding that the incident is being investigated. Courtesy Adam Wilkerson The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries that are not life threatening, Shawn Gilleland, a spokesman for the department told NBC News on Sunday. The woman returned to the zoo this morning to apologize, describing her actions as "foolish," the zoo's owner told NBC News. Witnesses told officials at the zoo in Litchfield Park, not far from Phoenix, that the woman crossed over the barrier to get a photo, according to a statement from the zoo. At no time was the animal out of its enclosure, the statement said, adding that the incident is being investigated. "We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar," the zoo said on Twitter. "She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe." The zoo also said it is not a wild animal's fault when barriers are crossed and that it was "sending prayers" to the woman and her family.<doc-sep>
The victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries Jaguar Attacks Woman After She Crosses Barrier to 'Get a Photo,' Says Arizona Zoo A woman who crossed the barrier of a jaguar enclosure at an Arizona zoo was hospitalized Saturday after the animal attacked her. The victim, a woman in her 30s, was transported to the hospital from the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park in stable condition and with non-life threatening injuries, Shawn Gilleland of the Rural Metro Fire Department tells PEOPLE. She suffered lacerations to her arm and hand. The zoo said the victim was attempting to take a photo when the incident occurred. “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 eye witnesses,” a statement shared via Twitter reads. “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. The incident is being fully investigated.” The zoo tweeted out the statement along with the message, “Please understand why barriers are put in place. Sending prayers to the family tonight.” RELATED VIDEO: Meet the Newest Sloth Member of Zoo Atlanta Witness Adam Wilkerson told CNN he was visiting the zoo when he heard cries for help and saw the victim’s arm stuck in the jaguar’s claws. “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. I could see the claws in her actual flesh.” Wilkerson said his mother ran up behind the animal and stuck her water bottle through the cage, which distracted the jaguar enough for her to loosen her grip and let go of the woman. The zoo said on Twitter that the jaguar will not be put down in light of the attack. “She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe,” the tweet read. “Not a wild animal’s fault when barriers are crossed.” Kristy Morcom, a spokeswoman for the zoo, told Arizona Family that while the jaguar was not at fault, she will remain off the exhibit pending an investigation for the sake of her privacy and well-being. The Humane Society of the United States hopes this incident encourages the Wildlife World Zoo and other zoos to rethink guests experiences that allow close encounters with wild animals.