It wasn't so long ago that the divide in public perception between "cute animals" and "dangerous animals," seemed pretty wide.
No matter how impressive or majestic people considered larger animals like lions or tigers, they were a little too intimidating to be considered cute unless they were in plush toy form.
Tourist attractions such as wildlife sanctuaries where animals like big cats are rescued and treated like house pets have grown massively due to social media attention.
Katy Perry and the Kardashian sisters are among some of the biggest names to have supported these sanctuaries. But they seem ignorant to the consequences.
Especially when the are specifically held in closed off habitats and safeguarded with fences, glass, and other means of getting too close.
Sure, safari photos are older than most of the people reading this, but it wasn't always required to star in them yourself.
As CNN reported, this attempted selfie brought at least some part of her over the barrier guarding the jaguar's enclosure.
According to CNN, Adam Wilkerson witnessed the woman struggle in the jaguar's grasp, but didn't want to risk pulling her away and causing further damage.
This seemed to work as the jaguar let go of the woman, who then collapsed in pain as other guests cared for her.
Wilkerson said there were no zoo employees in the area while this occurred.
Many citing that it wasn't the animals fault at all, as it did not escape or cross its own boundaries.
Barriers are put in place for the safety of both the animals and the visitors.
According to Kristy Morcum, who spoke on her behalf, the woman apologized and "feels horrible about the bad publicity the zoo is getting regarding the incident."
The report also included a caption asking guests to understand why the barriers exist between the guests and the zoo's animals.
According to the zoo's director, Mickie Ollson, she had once scratched another person who also crossed the barrier.
Neither case was determined to be the animal's fault.
And so, to reassure these concerned Twitter users, the zoo sent out another tweet assuring the public that no harm would come to the jaguar as a result of the incident.
h/t: CNN
