The woman who entered a lion enclosure at the Bronx Zoo took a photo with New York City Police Department officers after the incident.
Myah Autry, who was identified as the woman by the New York Post, appeared alongside three officers. She posted the photo—along with videos of her dancing in front of the lion—on her Instagram account over the weekend.
The 32-year-old, who goes by the name “Queen Empress Myáh Lareé Israelite” on social media, is wearing the same outfit.
The Post reported that police are searching for her so they could cite her for trespassing.
Her friends told the newspaper that they fear for her mental health after watching the videos of her and the lion.
Hernan Reynoso, who captured a video with Autry in it, told local media that he was at the zoo with his wife and son. His wife told him: “Look at that!”
That’s when he saw Autry inside the enclosure.
“But when I see … she just was there, dancing, saying, ‘Hi,’ to the lion and everything and that was crazy,” Reynoso said, adding that the lion began to get agitated and roared. He grabbed his family and left.
However, due to the angle of the video, the woman may not have been in as much danger as previously thought. There is a large moat that separates the woman from the lion’s den, according to the local report.
But a woman who has known Autry for several years said she hopes she gets help.
“Myah please get help. I dont know. I don’t know what is wrong with you,” said Eunice Walton. “I feel sad because she is like like my child. She is with my daughter since high school.”
Zoo officials said the woman risked her life by going inside the enclosure.
“This action was a serious violation and unlawful trespass that could have resulted in serious injury or death,” a Bronx Zoo spokesperson told CNN. “Barriers and rules are in place to keep both visitors, staff, and animals safe. We have a zero-tolerance policy on trespass and violation of barriers,” zoo officials said.
Videos
On Instagram, she posted several videos of the incident.
“I REALLY HAVE NO FEAR OF NOTHING BREATHING,” the woman wrote on Instagram. “ANIMALS CAN FEEL LOVE JUST LIKE HUMANS.”
She added in another that “LITERALLY I HAVE THE SAME DIET AS A GIRAFFE.”
She also apparently posted a video of herself inside the zoo’s giraffe enclosure, according to the New York Post.
“Only People wasn’t scared was me and The Children. All the Adults was Scared,” she also wrote on social media.
According to TMZ, police said that they have identified the woman and said her social media accounts show her smoking what appears to be marijuana before walking into the Bronx Zoo.
In the video, the woman is seen staring down the lion inside its enclosure before making several dance moves.
“I wanna get closer to him,” she said as she climbed over the barrier, according to the New York Daily News. “I’m sorry.”
“Hi, baby!” she yells at the lion. “Baby! I love you!”
According to the NY Daily News, the woman posted three Instagram videos of her entrance into the enclosure.
A man’s voice is then heard off-camera telling her: “You’re not supposed to do that. Go ahead and fall in there. See what happens.”
