Intoxicated woman breaks into Omaha zoo to pet tiger, gets bitten

OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha police said a tiger bit an apparently intoxicated woman who broke into the Henry Doorly Zoo to pet a big cat.

Officer James Shade said 33-year-old Jacqueline Eide suffered a severe hand injury in the incident at the Omaha Zoo early Sunday.

Shade said officers were called to the Creighton University Medical Center around 7:20 a.m. after the injured woman showed up. He says she was acting aggressively towards hospital staff and appeared to be intoxicated.

Police determined that she had sneaked into the zoo with another individual and was bitten when she reached into the tiger exhibit.

According to ABC affiliate KETV, Eide was sentenced to prison for her third DUI in 2011 and was arrested twice in Omaha this year. Her past criminal convictions include drunk driving, disturbing the peace, obstruction and shoplifting.

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The zoo said in a statement that it was likely an 18-year-old Malayan tiger called Mai bit the woman, and asserted that safety and security are priorities at the facility.

They said the tiger will “remain on display as normal and go about life as usual. No action will be taken against her.”

According to a zoo blog post about Mai from earlier this year, she lost one limb after she was caught in a snare trap as a cub.

“She’s very friendly,” said zookeeper Mike Verbrigghe. “She was forced to rely on humans from a young age, so she’s pretty trusting. In fact, she’ll look for attention from just about anyone.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "She's very friendly," said zookeeper Mike Verbrigghe. "She was forced to rely on humans from a young age, so she's pretty trusting. In fact, she'll look for attention from just about anyone."

Eide has been cited for criminal trespassing and police said the incident is still under investigation.

– with files from the Associated Press