In a video clip that has gone viral, a thrill-seeking young man is seen rushing headlong into a Rhino enclosure and enacting a backward somersault inside it before hauling himself back to safety.
The man – reportedly, a TikTok enthusiast who wanted to impress his followers on the video-sharing platform – got the entire episode from his arrival to Singapore Zoo to performing the stunt filmed by someone else.
By sheer good luck, the person made it back alive and well before the four giant Rhinos in the background barely noticed him. What a narrow squeak!
According to a report in the Straits Times, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has filed a complaint to the police and the matter is under investigation. WRS is a self-funded body that manages more than half of the Zoos in the country.
The body has expressed its displeasure through an Instagram post. Taking to the story section of the photo and video sharing platform, the body said, "reckless and mindless act which is socially irresponsible, extremely dangerous and simply disrespectful to wildlife and animals".
WRS further pleaded with viewers not to ape the young man as it could be fatal.
The clip was originally uploaded onto the daredevil’s TikTok account. It, however, appears that the video post had later been taken down.
The Zoo, according to the report, has witnessed a fateful event in the past. Back in 2018, a Malaysian contract Zoo worker was violently attacked by three white tigers who unfortunately couldn’t escape their deathly trap.
The man, on the wrong side of the 30s, hopped over the fence to land into the moat that separated the ferocious cats from onlookers. As he floundered about towards the tigers, he was pounced upon and clawed to death in full view of shocked visitors.
The dreadful attack was captured by a 16-year-old student Mohammad Khairul Nizam Zainal from the white tiger exhibit's viewing gallery, reported asiaone.com.
The four-minute footage showed the big cats getting wary and curious after the contract worker had intruded into their turf, the report added.
The report further stated that the victim had 90 external injuries from top to toe besides fractures of the skull, neck, and ribs. It was learned that a state coroner declared the case as a suicide the following year. Therefore, the Zoo had no legal obligation to pay workmen’s compensation to the deceased’s family.
Such acts of bravado enacted by swashbucklers cost their valuable lives besides separating them from their beloved ones permanently.
Moreover, zoos are homes to wild animals who have lost their natural habitat owing to the ever-increasing human population. Let’s not forget our boundaries while we get into the territory of wild animals.