When visitors end up inside zoo enclosures

So long as there have been zoo enclosures to separate the animals from the visitors, people have accidentally and sometimes deliberately made their way into pens and cages, finding themselves in danger.

In the latest case, a three-year-old boy fell into a moat inside the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla enclosure Sunday. The gorilla dragged the boy to another part of the exhibit, leading the zoo's dangerous animal team to shoot and kill the 400-pound ape. 

In mid-April, a woman jumped the fence at the Toronto Zoo's tiger enclosure to collect her hat. The incident was caught on video, and a man can be heard yelling "You're a moron," in the background. 

Jennifer Tracey, a Toronto Zoo spokeswoman, noted at the time that visitors should talk to a staff member if they lose an item in one of the cages, as they have the proper equipment to retrieve it. 

In some incidents, alcohol has been a factor.

On May 23, a drunk man jumped the barrier of the lion enclosure at the Nehru Zoo Park in Hyderabad, India, according to the Hindu. The 35-year-old man leaped into a waist-high moat roughly 3.6 metres beneath the viewing platform and walked towards the two lions.

The Mirror wrote that the man began to sing, "Please come close to me darling," and tried to convince the lions to shake his hand. 

Zookeepers threw down a pole to help the man climb out, while another staff member called the lions in for lunch. Police took the man in for questioning, according to The Hindu. 

While the people in these encounters weren't seriously injured, assuming that it's safe to enter a zoo animal's cage would be a mistake. 

An intoxicated woman broke into a Nebraska zoo last Halloween to pet a three-legged tiger. The tiger took the opportunity to bite her hand, leaving her with a serious wound, according to CNN.

Jacqueline Eide managed to sneak around security at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha after it was closed. She was charged her with criminal trespass, and later fined $250 US. 

On Jan. 21, a zoo employee man fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo by accident. The 61-year-old slipped and fell several metres, based on a statement by the zoo. 

The gorilla was secured in its sleeping den, while the man was escorted to the hospital to treat a leg injury.