Omaha police say a tiger bit an apparently intoxicated woman who broke into a Nebraska zoo to pet a big cat.
Officer James Shade says 33-year-old Jacqueline Eide suffered a severe hand injury in the incident at the Omaha Zoo early Sunday.
Shade say officers were called to the Creighton University Medical Center around 7:20 a.m. after the injured woman showed up. He says Eide was acting aggressively and appeared to be intoxicated.
Police determined that she had sneaked into the zoo and was bitten when she reached into the tiger exhibit. A friend then transported her to the hospital, according to the Omaha Police Department.
The zoo said in a statement that it was likely an 18-year-old, three-legged Malayan tiger called Mai that bit the woman.
Dennis Pates, the zoo’s executive director and CEO asserted in the statement that safety and security are priorities at the facility. Additional path lighting and cameras will be added near the tiger enclosure and throughout the park.
Eide has been cited for criminal trespass and remains at the hospital for treatment.
