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Bronx Zoo Jumper's Mom Blames Adderall Addiction For Tiger Den Leap
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 10, 2013
Modified Mar 10, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 10, 2013
Modified Mar 10, 2013
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If you reach back into the dark crevices of your memory to last September, you may recall that a man was mauled by a tiger after he jumped out of the Bronx Zoo’s Wild Asia Monorail and into a tiger den. David Villalobos, 25, told police at the time that he jumped because he wanted "to be one with the tiger," not because of any suicidal impulses. But his mother begs to differ: she claims her son's mind was warped because of Adderall addiction. And she thinks the tiger incident may have saved his life: “He was always interested in animals, and we brought him up as a Christian, but Adderall changed his way of thinking,” his mom, Fernanda, told Lawyers and Settlements.
"We don’t fully understand why he jumped into the tiger den and I don’t think David understands either, but there is an explanation, and I want this to be said in the courtroom: David said the voices told him to jump in," she added. "He also told me that he had been planning this for about a year, coincidentally when he first started taking the Adderall.”
Villalobos, who was mauled by an 11-year-old male Amur tiger named Bachuta on September 21st, suffered a broken right shoulder, right ankle, right rib and pelvis and a collapsed lung in the incident. He has pleaded not guilty to criminal trespassing at his arraignment, and is due back in court this Tuesday.
According to the Post, Villalobos has been thoroughly enjoying his 15 minutes of fame: “This is a good thing that happened; maybe I can make some money, write a book,” Villalobos allegedly told workout buddies. Another friend told the Post he has bragged that the media won’t stop calling him, adding that Villalobos was pleased over the fact cops and hospital personnel referred to him as “Tarzan."
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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