El Paso Zoo to Pursue Charges against Woman Who Climbed Into Enclosure to Feed Monkeys

The stupid, entitled zoo foo’ who breached the spider monkey enclosure over the weekend so she could feed the monkeys, presumably because she feels rules don’t apply to her, has been located.

According to a zoo official I spoke with, the El Paso Zoo plans to first throw a chancla at her then give her some nalgadas – metaphorically speaking, of course. Although based on social media comments, the majority of El Pasoans wouldn't have a problem with that type of punishment.

“We have identified the woman and are working with law enforcement to pursue legal action,” said Sarah Borrego, El Paso Zoo Event Coordinator. According to a post by the Lovett Law Firm, the person worked for the personal injury lawyer. 'Worked,' as in past tense. She was terminated from her job when her identity was discovered.

As previously reported, this is the second time in two months a guest disregarded the safety measures in place and entered an animal enclosure. In March, two small children were filmed standing inside the chimpanzee enclosure.

“This incident is much different from the previous one,” Borrego explained. “The previous one was really just hopping a fence, which is still trespassing, but there was no danger of animal interaction. This one was extremely dangerous. Spider monkeys can be dangerous since they are a wild animal. Their canine teeth alone could cause some serious damage. This woman was lucky that she was not harmed by them.”

"It is common for zoos to have a shallow moat and a small fence to prevent humans from harming the monkeys. Our spider monkey exhibit is much like other zoo’s exhibits around the country, but if someone really wants to cause trouble they will find a way."

Because of the recent breaches, Sarah says a full safety assessment of all animal exhibits will be conducted and the zoo will look at additional safety measures including installing cameras and modifying the fences.

As for the claim the monkeys were fed Hot Cheetos, Sarah said they can't verify that's what it was. Spicy human junk food is not part of their specialized diet, as you may have guessed, so just in case that really was what the monkey were given, zoo keepers are keeping a close eye on their health to make sure neither develops stomach problems.

Kids in El Paso Zoo Chimp Enclosure - March 2021