March 12, 2019, 10:50 AM 
A woman was attacked by a jaguar at the Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona, U.S.A after she climbed a barrier to take a selfie with the animal on March 9, 2019, Reuters reports.
Bystander distracted jaguar with water bottle
The barrier provides a buffer of several metres from the actual enclosure.
According to Reuters, the local fire department crew said that the woman allegedly put her arm so close to the actual enclosure that the jaguar was able to reach her.
A witness present at the time of the attack, Adam Wilkerson, said that he heard screaming, and saw the woman up against the fence with the jaguar's claws in her flesh, CNN reveals.
Wilkerson added that he did not try to pull her away, for fear of causing the woman greater injury.
In a display of resourcefulness, Wilkerson's mother distracted the creature by shoving a water bottle through the cage.
Only then did the jaguar let go of the woman.
The jaguar with the water bottle. Photo from ABC News / Youtube
A video of the attack depicts the woman writhing on the ground in pain after she was released by the animal, surrounded by fellow bystanders.
You can see the video below, but be warned, the images may be distressing.
*WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT*
GRAPHIC VIDEO: Woman attacked by a jaguar at @ZooWildlife ... officials say, the woman crossed over a barrier to get a photo. I’ll have more at 9 and 10.
— Jennifer Martinez (@Jennifer_Fox10) March 10, 2019
COURTESY: Adam Wilkerson @FOX10Phoenix #Fox10phoenix pic.twitter.com/L5aOjV1m4J
Non-life threatening injuries
The woman, whose identity is being withheld pending investigations, suffered non-life threatening injuries to her arm and was brought to a hospital for treatment.
In response to the incident, the zoo said that investigations are ongoing.
At no time was the animal out of the enclosure.
Jaguar will not be put down
In 2016, a male silverback gorilla named Harambe was shot dead at the Cincinnati Zoo after a boy fell into its enclosure.
Fortunately, in this case, Wildlife World Zoo assured everyone that the jaguar would not be put down.
She won’t be put down.
— Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019
There were numerous animal lovers clamouring for the safety of the creature, and they also expressed their relief online.
Thank you , thank you ... thank you! @ZooWildlife for not even considering the thought of putting down your beautiful Jaguar....👏🏼❤️
— L.N.nobile (@olivianobile) March 10, 2019
**Never put an animal down for reacting to a situation that an incompetent human creates! 🐾
😍 thank you for protecting this jaguar
— Dawn Shanks (@DawnShanks) March 10, 2019
Thank you so much for confirming - and for handling this situation with such grace. ❤️
— Anne B (@abroshar) March 10, 2019
Lesson learnt
Following treatment, the woman was later brought back to the zoo on the same day to apologise, according to a spokesperson from the fire department.
According to NBC news, she described her actions as "foolish".
While the zoo makes it clear that it's "not a wild animal's fault when barriers are crossed", they ended of their tweet by saying that they will be sending prayers to the woman and her family.
We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar. She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe- not a wild animals fault when barriers are crossed. Still sending prayers to her and her family.
— Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (@ZooWildlife) March 10, 2019
Top photo from NBC News /Youtube and Nathan Rupert / Flickr (not the actual jaguar)
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.