Man mauled at Bronx Zoo says leap was not a suicide attempt
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By LISA EVERS, Fox 5 News Reporter
MYFOXNY.COM -
Police say the man who was seriously hurt in the tiger exhibit at the Bronx Zoo voluntarily jumped from the monorail into the tiger preserve and that his leap was definitely not a suicide attempt, but a desire to be "one with the tiger."
Everything‘s back to normal at the Bronx Zoo with one slight difference – there are warnings for visitors as they approach the tiger exhibit.
This comes as a man who jumped in the cage recovers from serious injuries.
David Villalobos, 25, remains at Jacobi Hospital under arrest for criminal trespass. He's recovering from a list of painful broken bones, shoulder, pelvis, ribs and ankle. He also suffered a collapsed lung and nearly lost one of his feet when he jumped 17-feet from the Bronx Zoo monorail into the Wild Asia exhibit Friday afternoon.
The animal lover told police he wanted to be one with the tiger named Bachuta.
Some visitors at the zoo think Villalobos needs to be one with a therapist.
Visitors told Fox 5 News they were warned at the start of the monorail ride to stay seated and keep their arms in the car and then were given a second warning right before they approached the tiger exhibit.
The visitors also said they had high praise for the zoo workers who risked their lives to save Villalobos by spraying the tiger with fire extinguishers and also saved the tiger at the same time.
When an NYPD sergeant asked Villalobos why had jumped into the tiger preserve, he replied that "everyone in life makes choices."
Zoo officials say the tiger will not be euthanized because it did nothing wrong. They plan to review safety procedures but maintain this was a highly unusual occurrence.
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