A woman who allegedly snuck into the lion and giraffe enclosures at the Bronx Zoo in late September has been arrested by the police.
Myah Autry, a 30-year-old woman from New York City, went viral earlier in the fall when she was filmed by Instagram-user Real Sobrino climbing into the enclosures where wild animals live. In the footage, Autry can be seen dancing in front of one of the lions and seemingly taunting it and can be heard stating: "I want to get closer to him ... Baby! Hi, I love you!"
As if the stunt wasn't dangerous enough to begin with, many people who viewed the footage noticed that there was also what appeared to be a deep trench between Autry and the lion. A zoo spokesperson confirmed last month that there was a concrete trench between the woman and the lion.
The NYPD arrested Autry on the evening of Wednesday, October 6. She has since been charged with two counts of criminal trespassing. According to a CNN report, she allegedly posted a video on her Instagram account in which she claimed she was prepared to turn herself in to the authorities.
In a statement issued to NBC News, a spokesperson for the Bronx zoo stated: "This action was a serious violation and unlawful trespass that could have resulted in serious injury or death. 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."
Try not to cringe as this man sticks his hand into a lion enclosure:Sadly, this isn't the first time we've covered human beings behaving inappropriately around wild animals. Check out this story we penned all about the visitors to a zoo who cruelly carved their names into the back of an innocent rhino.