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Woman Who Entered Bronx Zoo Lion Den Wanted For Criminal Trespass
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 4, 2019
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 4, 2019
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The woman who had an extremely up-close-and-personal visit with a lion at the Bronx Zoo is now wanted by the police for trespassing.
The NYPD says that on Saturday, around 5:30 p.m., Myah Autry, 32, entered the fenced Africa Plains area, where the lions roam. She also entered the giraffe enclosure. Autry documented her escapades on her Instagram account.
Autry was not injured. Hernán Reynoso, who also filmed Autry's stunt, was at the zoo with her family. He told NBC New York he thought she was a zoo staff member. "But when I see ... she just was there, dancing, saying, 'Hi,' to the lion and everything and that was crazy." Reynoso said that the lion seemed agitated.
"This action was a serious violation and unlawful trespass that could have resulted in serious injury or death," the Bronx Zoo said in a statement. "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."
In 2012, a man jumped from the zoo's monorail into the tiger area. He managed to pet the tiger, but then the big cat dragged him and chewed on his foot. He survived, but also suffered broken bones and a collapsed lung.
A woman who knows Autry shared her concerns with NBC New York, "Myah please get help. I don't know. I don’t know what is wrong with you,, I feel sad because she is like like my child. She is with my daughter since high school."
The Post sent a reporter to the zoo to ask visitors what they thought of Autry's antics. One person opined, "The fence is there for a reason. I don’t know if you’ve seen the new ‘Lion King’ remake, but, spoiler alert, one of the lions is killed by another lion.”
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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