As I'm sure many of you have heard, a woman went into a jaguar enclosure at a zoo to get a picture. She did sustain some injuries, but thankfully they were not fatal wounds. Since the incident, she has apologized for going past the barriers.
However, I think this should spark further discussion. We as a society have lost respect and fear for nature. While I do think that jaguars and other furry animals are super cute, I know to keep my distance. Jaguars and many animals that we find very cute are also predatory. We should not be trying to interact with these animals unless we want to be brutally injured by them. It's like there is a disconnect between reality and expectations. For example, many of us grew up with teddy bears, which represent the bears in the wild. But obviously, bears are not as cuddly as the teddy bears we like to snuggle with. I think many people view these animals as cute and harmless, but they are not. And we need to be reminded of that. That being said, I do not believe in hunting animals. You should not go out of your way to kill an animal for decoration or sport.
Furthermore, the fact that this woman did this for a photo, also says a lot about our society. We need to stop putting so much emphasis on trying to capture crazy moments in our lives. I don't know why this woman wanted to get a photo by going inside the enclosure, but it probably had to do with entertainment purposes. She put her life at risk to do it, and it was not right.
But she realized her mistake and is learning from it. I think we all should. Remember to love and respect nature, even if you are at a zoo because those animals are still wild.
