BY SAM BLEIWEIS
FEBRUARY 22, 2022
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BOSTON (WHDH) – A Worcester man accused of breaking into the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston in an apparent attempt to gain access to the tiger enclosure has pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the alleged incident.
Matthew Abraham, 24, was arraigned Tuesday in Dorchester District Court on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Abraham broke into the zoo by climbing over a gate around 9 a.m., according to state police.
In an interview with 7NEWS, Abraham claimed that someone let him into the zoo.
“A lady let me in and after I was let in, I saw the caretaker by the tiger and I’m interested in the psychology of predatory animals such tigers and lions,” Abraham said.
A preliminary investigation indicated that he scaled multiple fences in his attempt to get to the tigers, ignoring multiple posted signs advising the public to stay out of that area, state police said. When asked why he did it, troopers said Abraham stated that he had an interest in the animals.
“I thought that since there was a fence, I wasn’t encroaching on his territory and I thought I would be OK,” said Abraham. “I just wanted to get close to it.”
Security staff detained Abraham as he tried to get into the tiger enclosure, state police said. Boston EMS responded to the zoo to evaluate him and determined he was mentally competent, state police added.
“The tiger was in his cage,” Abraham said. “The tiger saw me and growled at me and that was all…I didn’t realize I was trespassing or anything.”
A judge ordered Abraham to stay away from the zoo until further notice.
He is due back in court in April.
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Man pleads not guilty to trying to gain access to tiger enclosure at Franklin Park Zoo
Exposing the Big Game 
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Thank you for posting! Our local news is reporting it almost sympathetically, saying that ‘he only wanted to get close to the tigers’. You don’t get close to tigers, it isn’t normal behavior.
What’s to deter him from trying again and succeeding? Then there will be a situation like in Naples, FL where the tiger had to be killed.
Apparently, it has been resolved for the best I hope. The guy has been barred from the zoo; and his lawyer has said they are seeking a private mental health evaluation.
I hate to see this as a copycat crime or repeated thing – the one time in Naples FL was bad and traumatic enough. This guy has no right to look a tiger in the eye, it’s outrageous, unless he visits the zoo during normal hours and under controlled circumstances.
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Man-accused-of-trying-to-enter-tiger-cage-barred-16938941.php