Man scaled zoo fences around enclosure to see tiger’s reaction, Massachusetts cops say
A man with a self-declared interest in tigers was arrested after breaking into a zoo and scaling its fences in an attempt to get into the tiger enclosure, Massachusetts state police said.
He said he simply wanted to see how the striped felines would react to him, WCVB5 reported.
Matthew Abraham, 24, of Worcester is accused of “ignoring multiple posted signs advising the public to stay out” of the big cat enclosure at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston the morning of Feb. 21, state police said in a news release that same day. He was detained by zoo security before he could access it.
Abraham told authorities “he was very interested in tigers” when asked his motive, the release said.
“I was there as a spectator of the zoo. I didn’t mean to harm anybody. I wasn’t looking to harm the tiger. I wasn’t looking to harm myself neither,” Abraham told WCVB5. “My plan was just to go see what is a tiger. How would a tiger react to a human being?”
He said he wasn’t trying to break into the zoo’s tiger habitat, according to the outlet, but then said he was trying to get “close enough” to look into a tiger’s eye.
A zoo spokesperson told McClatchy News that “an unknown male was seen in an outdoor non-public area behind the tiger exhibit. When first seen by staff and approached, he climbed over a gate and quickly exited the area.”
After Abraham was located by zoo staff, he was removed from the property by state police, according to the spokesperson.
Abraham was evaluated by Boston EMS at the zoo and they “determined him to be mentally competent,” police said in the news release.
He is charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct and is likely due to appear in court for an arraignment on Feb. 22, according to authorities.
“Hopefully it will be forgiven as a misunderstanding because that’s what I believe it was,” Abraham told Boston CBS.
He is a college student at Worcester State University and studies biology, according to the outlet.
When WHDH asked if he’d repeat his actions at the zoo, he told the outlet, “No. I mean what? Go see a tiger? I don’t know? Maybe.”
“No animals, nor people, were injured,” the zoo spokesperson said of the alleged trespassing incident.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Man scaled zoo fences around enclosure to see tiger’s reaction, Massachusetts cops say."
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