Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

A woman climbed into the tiger enclosure at a South Jersey zoo

The woman nearly gets bitten, according to a video posted to Facebook by the Bridgeton Police Department

A rogue zoo visitor was caught on video illegally entering the tiger enclosure at a South Jersey zoo.

The incident occurred during business hours on Sunday at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, which houses two 500-pound Bengal tigers named Rishi and Mahesha.

In a video posted to Facebook by the Bridgeton Police Department that has since been removed, an unidentified woman was seen entering the enclosure to “entice” one of the tigers with food. After nearly getting her hand bitten, the woman then climbed back over the enclosure’s wooden fence to continue her zoo trip as several other people watched.

“The high-quality care of the animals, along with the safety of our guests and visitors, is our top priority,” the Cohanzick Zoo said in a statement. “Any visitor behavior that places the animals, staff and members of the public in a potentially dangerous situation is unacceptable and will be addressed accordingly.”

Authorities ask that anyone with information about the woman seen in the video call Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033 or send an anonymous tip to BPD.TIPS. Police declined to comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.

Climbing over the zoo’s fences is against city law in Bridgeton, and could result in getting banned from park facilities as well as being fined $100 to $2,000.