That woman and the polar bears…

Image by Fritz Liess via Flickr

Seeing the photos and video of the German woman who jumped into the polar bear exhibit at the Berlin Zoo reminded me of the day I recently spent with my dad at the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium near Phoenix.

The tigers were in an enclosure that consisted of a wire fence and a small wooden barrier that keeps vistors at a little more than arm’s length from the big cats. All of the tigers were sleeping except one white tiger who was pacing wildly (as you’d expect a tiger to do).

I recall thinking that it would have been very easy for a small child to crawl under the wooden barrier and stick his or her entire arm through the fence. There were a few parents who were just letting their tots run around unattended. 

My dad and I actually saw a little girl who must have been about three years old sticking her hands in the water of an exhibit of turtles. Her mother shouted at her, but she was at least 10 yards away eating her lunch. For all she knew, the pond could have had a school of piranha in it!