Speaking of idiots who endanger zoo animals...

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

Woman Enters Exhibit, Elephant Smacks Her

By Associated Press
Published March 6, 2006, 7:15 AM CST

WACO, Texas -- A 25-year-old woman climbed past barriers and into an elephant's zoo exhibit, then crawled out with minor injuries after the 6,000-pound animal smacked her with its trunk.

-snip-

After saying she wanted to play with the elephant, the woman climbed over a 3-feet-high wood-and-wire fence, scaled an 8-foot-tall artificial rock structure and bypassed an electric wire before jumping into the exhibit Thursday afternoon, Fleshman said. A moat extends around most of the exhibit.

-snip-

Both animals were stressed after the incident and were moved to a private area for part of the afternoon, and one didn't want to return to the exhibit even later in the day. But both were back for visitors to see Friday, (Cameron Park Zoo director) Fleshman said.

"They're not used to somebody being in their space," he said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-startled-elephant,0,5903400.story

I am so saddened by the recent destruction of two zoo bears after one inflicted minor injuries on the finger of a four-year-old boy who climbed a fence to get to their enclosure.

And now a full-grown adult has endangered the lives of two elephants because she wanted to play with them. Unbelievable. If they had injured her any worse, these magnificent animals might have been destroyed as well. I hope she is prosecuted for her idiocy.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. The woman should be tested to see if her IQ is above 50.

[jilln]

2. zoos should be outlawed anyway

[elehhhhna]

3. Waco zoo is one of the best I've ever seen...I believe those are

African Elephants and they're HUGE. It wouldn't be easy to get in there, either. Overall the animals have very large habitats and it's worth a visit.

That woman must be insane because the rhinos are also in there, iirc.