Texas Woman Jumps Into El Paso Zoo's Spider Monkey Exhibit In Order To Hand Feed Animals Hot Snacks

May 29, 2021 by apost team

A woman in El Paso, Texas, climbed into an exhibit at a local zoo to try to feed the animal a snack. Lucy Rae went to the El Paso Zoo on May 23, 2021, but her visit was anything but ordinary. After overstepping the barriers, Rae trespassed into the spider monkey’s exhibit in an attempt to feed the animals Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Many zoo-goers and workers expressed their concern for the woman’s actions, as she could have harmed herself, the animals, and others in the process.

Zoos have many safety protocols in place to keep guests and animals safe, including fences around exhibits, keeping animals in cages, and putting up signs to direct visitors on how to act near these animals. For example, some zoos direct people to not tap on the glass windows of enclosed exhibits, or to remain a certain distance away from the more open ones.

Despite all of these precautions zoo directors and zookeepers go through to keep the guests and the animals protected, one woman in El Paso decided to ignore all of that for her own gratification. Rae crossed the designated barriers to break into the spider monkey exhibit and feed the startled animals. 

Ignoring the fact that these primates have specific diets to help with their overall health, Rae went ahead and fed them Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, a snack that even some people don’t eat due to the intense heat. Rae now has the potential to face consequences for her harmful actions and the damage she caused.

Overstepping The Boundaries

Joe Montisano, the El Paso Zoo director, described Rae’s actions as “stupid and lucky,” as she somehow managed to make her way into the spider monkey exhibit at the local zoo on May 23, 2021. The woman had stepped over the short fence in front of the exhibit and walked through the bushes nearby. While the spider monkeys were even further separated from zoo visitors by a man-made waterfall and a surrounding stream, they didn’t stop the woman as she had waded through the water to make her way to the animals.

A zookeeper at the facility, Mason Kleist, also chimed in with his disapproval. “These are primates we’re talking about, they could do some substantial damage to you,” Kleist said. “They may be small monkeys, but they can take you to the ground if they wanted to.”

Rae not only put herself in danger, but she also endangered those around her, especially the spider monkeys named Libby and Sunday. Rae had decided to feed the animals out of her own hands. Not only did she disrupt their daily regimented diet, but she also could have possibly exposed the primates to COVID-19, as the ongoing pandemic is still a threat. 

“Anything that we have they could get as well so Covid is no different,” Kleist said. “We took the necessary steps to prevent them from getting that, so for someone to just go in there and give them food from their hands could just ruin that.”

The news team even spoke with a child named Jaleesa Carreon to get her thoughts on Rae’s actions. The young zoo-goer said that she would never climb into the exhibit because “it’s a little bit too… scared.”

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The Real Fit Fam El Paso Instagram account revealed that the woman had fed the animals Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. According to KVIA, this disturbance in the spider monkey’s diet could cause stomach issues or bowel disruptions.

While all of this is reason enough to worry for the sweet primates, Kleist revealed that the damage done on this day in May could be long-lasting. “It takes years to build trust with these animals and for someone to come in there for five minutes for a video on Instagram or whatever just ruins years of work,” he said. “It’s going to take a long time to get them back to where they were and training.”

According to KVIA, Rae had been working at the Lovett Law Firm in El Paso as a litigation assistant in the firm’s personal injury division. A spokesperson from the law firm talked with KVIA to confirm Rae’s identity and give insight into what happened to her following the events at the El Paso Zoo. The law firm confirmed that Rae was fired on May 24, 2021, as the firm “didn’t condone Rae’s action or have any advanced knowledge of her intention.”

The zoo filed a formal complaint with the El Paso Police Department and the case is currently under investigation, with the potential for Rae to be formally charged, according to KVIA. The news station also reported that the zoo director was looking into installing security cameras and modifying the fences to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

What do you think about this story? Do you think this woman will be charged? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family, too.