Responsible Behavior

At the beginning of last week CBS (and several others) reported on a big cat attack at an Arizona zoo. “A jaguar attacked a woman who crossed a barrier to take a photo with the animal at an Arizona zoo Saturday evening, officials said. The woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the attack at the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, about 20 miles outside of Phoenix.”

The woman, not identified at the time of the incident, had severe gashes on her arm and was taken to a local hospital. She had stepped over a barrier to lean against the cage to get a better picture with the jaguar. The 3-foot barrier was separated from the cage by approximately four feet and intended to keep visitors far enough away from the cage, but people could still get over it if they chose. The zoo officials, who apparently decided the cat was not at fault or particularly dangerous under normal circumstances, temporarily removed it from the exhibit.

Refreshingly surprising was the woman’s reaction in an interview the following day, also on CBS. How easy would it have been to blame the zoo and run out to fetch a lawyer to sue them for negligence? Things like that happen every day in America. Surely a sympathetic jury would have focused on her injuries and distress, ignoring the part she played in the incident and possibly granting her a substantial award. Otherwise, the zoo might have offered to settle for undisclosed damages just to avoid the hassle of litigation. News like this is commonplace.

Actually, she told the interviewer, “I was in the wrong for leaning over the barrier.” She did suggest that the zoo modify the design to make it less tempting and more difficult for others to make the same mistake. She is hoping to turn her frightening experience into an example for others. As a closing comment she added, “I never expected this. I feel like we're all human, we make mistakes and I learned my lesson.”

A good sign of responsibility is admitting your mistakes or your contribution to a problem. It’s refreshing, and all too rare, to see this kind of behavior in the news.