Woman Who Taunted Lion Inside Zoo Den Is Identified: Report

The Bronx Zoo says the woman who trespassed inside its lion enclosure on Saturday put herself in serious danger. (Courtesy of @realsobrino/Instagram)

A woman taunted a lion after climbing over a barrier into the lion’s enclosure, drawing condemnation from zoo officials this week.

She was later identified as Myah Laree Israelite on Instagram, according to the New York Post. It’s not clear if that is her real name.

“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 news outlet.

Police said the zoo filed a complaint against the woman, it was reported. The New York City Police Department is currently investigating, but no arrests have yet been made.

“Only People wasn’t scared was me and The Children. All the Adults was Scared,” she also wrote on social media.

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

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.

Videos

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.”

An undated file image of a lion. (Pixabay)

The lion didn’t attack the woman, but zoo officials later said it was a very risky move. The lion also was not harmed in the incident.

“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.

It’s not clear how the woman got into the enclosure or how long she stayed there.

Vistors told CBS News they were perplexed as to why someone would climb inside the enclosure.

“I think it’s absolutely crazy. I don’t know why anyone would think to climb over there,” one visitor said. “That’s somebody who’s very troubled,” another said.

“I hope that nothing bad happens to the lion because of what this woman did,” a woman added.