Wild footage shows the moment a tiger lunges at a woman after she hopped a fence at a New Jersey zoo to taunt the giant beast.
In the clip, the unidentified daredevil can be seen trying to entice a Bengal tiger at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton by sticking her hand through a wire enclosure.
The video shows the cat coming in for a closer look before lunging and swiping its paw at the woman as she rips her hand back.
After the close call, the woman can be seen casually walking away and jumping back over the fence to safety.
The Bridgeton Police Department, which released the footage on Tuesday but did not specify when the incident occurred, is now looking for the woman, NBC reported.
John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told People: '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.'
The nearly 650-pound tiger was born in 2016 and donated to the Cohanzick Zoo in North Carolina.
It is one of two brothers currently living in the enclosure.
According to the zoo, the Bengal is considered the second largest tiger after the Siberian tiger.
In the clip, the unidentified daredevil can be seen trying to entice a Bengal tiger at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton by sticking her hand through a wire enclosure.
The video shows the cat coming in for a closer look before lunging and swiping its paw at the woman as she rips her hand back.
After the close call, the woman can be seen casually walking away and jumping back over the fence to safety.
The Bridgeton Police Department, which released the footage on Tuesday but did not specify when the incident occurred, is now looking for the woman, NBC reported.
John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told People: '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.'
The nearly 650-pound tiger was born in 2016 and donated to the Cohanzick Zoo in North Carolina.
It is one of two brothers currently living in the enclosure.
According to the zoo, the Bengal is considered the second largest tiger after the Siberian tiger.
Category
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00This lady climbed a fence at a zoo so she could pet the tiger in the enclosure.
00:12As Allison Hall reports, the cops are now trying to find her.
00:16After scaling a wooden fence, this woman is now face-to-face with an enormous Bengal tiger at the zoo.
00:23Poking her fingers through the cage, she tries to touch the 500-pound animal.
00:29Suddenly, the tiger lurches forward, nearly biting the woman as she yanks her arm away.
00:35The trespasser then hightails it out of there, jumping the fence as the tiger paces menacingly back and forth.
00:42The incident happened at the Kohanzuk Zoo in Bridgeton, New Jersey.
00:46And now police want to talk to the woman, saying she tried to entice the tiger.
00:51We are asking if anyone recognizes the female in the video-slash-photo, cops say.
00:56It's not the first time something like this has happened.
00:59In 2021, this woman, carrying flowers in a brassy blonde wig and tight red dress,
01:05weaseled her way into the lion enclosure at New York's Bronx Zoo.
01:13Now, another foolish move that has us asking, what was she thinking?
01:26For more UN videos visit www.un.org