The woman, identified as Leanne, was visiting the Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix on Saturday when she decided to take a selfie with a black jaguar.
According to Leanne, it was a good opportunity for pictures, as the cats were pressed up against the cage.
To take the photo, Leanne leaned over the security barrier with her camera – allowing the cat to reach through the wire fence and scratch her.
Following the incident, the woman, who is in her 30s, told CBS: “The black jaguar was up against the fence and we happened to be walking by and we said: ‘Hey let’s get some good pictures.’”
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She then acknowledged she was “in the wrong for leaning over the barrier,” but thinks “maybe the zoo should look into moving their fence back”.
“We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar,” the zoo tweeted the day of the incident. “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.”
According to CBS, a three-foot barrier is in place around the jaguar exhibit.
Last summer, a similar attack involving the same animal occurred, with zoo visitor Jeff Allan requiring several stitches after reaching into the enclosure.
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At the time, Allan hired an attorney to persuade the zoo to implement additional safety measures, according to ABC15.
The case never went to court.
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