The woman who jumped into a lion’s den at the Bronx Zoo has been identified, and police want your help in tracking her down.
The New York Police Department said the culprit is Myah Autry. She shared videos of herself climbing over the wooden fence Saturday, then waving and dancing once inside as the big cat gawked.
In the video, the lion appears too stunned to pounce and the woman seems unbothered even as it takes a few steps toward her.
“I want to get closer to him,” the woman says in the video as she climbs over the wooden fence. “Baby! Hi, I love you!” she mumbles as she waves before breaking into a little dance.
In addition to the lion’s enclosure, Autry also illegally entered the giraffe area at the Bronx Zoo last week, police said.
After her encounter with the lion, the woman, who uses a different name on social media, posted a photo of herself with police officers.
After the video of the incident emerged, the Bronx Zoo was not amused and said the woman put herself in danger.
“This action was a serious violation and unlawful trespass that could have resulted in serious injury or death,” it said. “Barriers and rules are in place to keep both visitors, staff and animals safe. We have a zero tolerance policy on trespass and violation of barriers.”
Neither the woman nor the lion were injured in the incident.
Autry is wanted for criminal trespass, the New York Police Department tweeted Thursday night. It said anyone with information on her whereabouts should call 800-577-TIPS.
???? WANTED for CRIMINAL TRESPASS: Do you know Myah Autry? On 9/28 she entered the fenced giraffe and lion area at the @BronxZoo without permission. If you have any information on her whereabouts call or DM @NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. All calls are anonymous. ☎️ pic.twitter.com/6MUeyicanX
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 3, 2019
It is unclear how the woman got over the barrier or how long she was there. But it appears she never crossed the large moat that separates the lions from those who visit the exhibit. The Bronx Zoo would not say how wide or deep it is.
Friends Fear for Her Mental Wellbeing
Friends of Autry told the New York Post that they fear for her mental health after watching the videos of her and the lion.
Hernan Reynoso, who captured a video of Autry, told local media that he was at the zoo with his wife and son. His wife told him: “Look at that!”
That’s when he saw Autry inside the enclosure.
“But when I see … she just was there, dancing, saying, ‘Hi,’ to the lion and everything and that was crazy,” Reynoso said, adding that the lion began to get agitated and roared. He grabbed his family and left.
However, due to the angle of the video, the woman may not have been in as much danger as previously thought. There is a large moat that separates the woman from the lion’s den, according to the local report.
But a woman who has known Autry for several years said she hopes she gets help.
“Myah please get help. I dont know. I don’t know what is wrong with you,” said Eunice Walton. “I feel sad because she is like my child. She is with my daughter since high school.”
Videos
On Instagram, she posted several videos of the incident.
“I REALLY HAVE NO FEAR OF NOTHING BREATHING,” the woman wrote on Instagram. “ANIMALS CAN FEEL LOVE JUST LIKE HUMANS.”
She added in another that “LITERALLY I HAVE THE SAME DIET AS A GIRAFFE.”
She also apparently posted a video of herself inside the zoo’s giraffe enclosure, according to the New York Post.
“Only People wasn’t scared was me and The Children. All the Adults was Scared,” she also wrote on social media.
According to TMZ, police said that they have identified the woman and said her social media accounts show her smoking what appears to be marijuana before walking into the Bronx Zoo.
In the video, the woman is seen staring down the lion inside its enclosure before doing some dance moves.
“I wanna get closer to him,” she said as she climbed over the barrier, according to the New York Daily News. “I’m sorry.”
“Hi, baby!” she yells at the lion. “Baby! I love you!”
Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips and The CNN Wire contributed to this report.
