On Saturday, March 9, 2019 a woman was attacked by a jaguar and sustained injuries at Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix, Arizona after jumping a barrier to get closer to the jaguar’s cage to take a selfie with the animal. This is the second attack involving the jaguar; last year, another zoo visitor was scratched after getting too close to the animal’s cage. Born Free USA acting CEO, Angela Grimes, says:
“The jaguar attack at Wildlife World Zoo is yet another example of the dangers of keeping wild animals in captivity – no matter the size of the zoo or adequacy of the barriers. In the case of Sarah the jaguar, this is the second time in recent memory that a zoo patron was able to get close enough to her to be attacked.
In addition to being dangerous to humans, keeping wildlife in captivity is cruel. Wild animals are just that – wild. They act on their natural instincts when scared, frustrated, or annoyed – all sensations heightened by their unnatural caged life. In the wild, jaguars are solitary animals with territories ranging from 15 to 25 square miles. But, in zoos they are in a tiny fraction of their wild range and often housed in groups. Sarah, like all animals in zoos, spent her life being gawked at and photographed by crowds of noisy humans, further exacerbating her captivity-fueled frustration. Although Wildlife World Zoo has assured the public that Sarah will not be punished, wild animals are often killed after such attacks simply for behaving like the wild animals that they are.
The zoo visitor has since apologized to the zoo for acting recklessly, but the sad reality is that zoos promote an erroneous and harmful notion that animals exist to amuse us — as props for selfies and mere objects put on display to entertain us.”
To learn more about the danger and cruelty of keeping animals in captivity, please click here.