A video of a woman risking her life to save a hat that fell into a Toronto Zoo tiger enclosure is being shared widely online, clocking up more than 1.8 million views in less than three days.
The footage, uploaded by Jared Sales, has attracted thousands of comments, the vast majority of which criticise the unidentified woman's actions.
"Worst idea ever," says an unseen witness in the video.
"You're a moron," yells a male voice repeatedly.
"And you've taught these children you're a moron, too."
The zoo is reportedly investigating the incident.
Tigers have been known to attack humans who interact with them in captivity. In January of this year an Australia Zoo keeper was injured by a Sumatran tiger, the same breed filmed in the Toronto incident.
The attack, which handler Che Woolcott described as "letting off a bit of steam", left the keeper with a bleeding head wound.
CNN reported a Palm Beach Zoo employee, Stacey Konwiser, 38, was killed by a Malayan tiger on April 15, just a day before the footage of the near-miss at Toronto zoo was filmed.
Queensland conservation officer Gareth Newman said while animals in captivity may seem tame, no matter what the species, they could still act unpredictably especially when surprised.
"Entering a captive animal enclosure without the proper training or experience is always a risk," he said.
"These animals are used to very specific husbandry routines, and any interaction outside of these can yield unpredictable results."
