A woman visiting the Bronx Zoo in New York climbed into the lion exhibit Thursday where she professed her love to one the lions.
A woman visiting New York's Bronx Zoo Thursday climbed over the barrier to the lion exhibit and exclaimed, "King, I love you, I came back for you," according to witnesses. https://t.co/nS5iqIXfMd
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Several witnesses recorded the incident on their cellphones as the woman who was holding a bouquet of red roses lept into the enclosure and started tossing money at the lion.
“I missed him so much,” the woman can be heard saying in one of the recordings of the incident.
The woman, who was wearing a red dress, leopard-print shawl and a blond wig, started talking to the lion from about 15 feet away, according to witnesses.
“King, I don’t love anybody more than I love you, I came back for you,” the infamous Lion lady said as she danced and blew kisses. She was also seen throwing $100 bills in the direction of the lion.
Zoo officials were alerted to the incident but by the time they arrived, the affectionate cat lover had left. Zoo officials said the woman was near a moat that separated the lions from the public and that she was not in any danger.
Police later identified the woman as Myah Autrey, the same woman who had entered the same lion exhibit and taunted a lion in 2019.
“This situation involves one individual who is determined to harass our lions with no regard for her safety, or the safety of our staff and our guests, and no regard for the well-being of the lions. We have an NYPD substation in the park and are working closely with them to resolve this situation with this individual,” said a Wildlife Conservation Society spokesperson. “The Bronx Zoo has a zero-tolerance policy in matters such as this and will aggressively seek prosecution against this individual and anyone who violates park safety rules.”
The lion was not impressed with Autrey and remained lying on the ground looking at her in confusion.
