Mauled Man Aimed ‘To Be One With The Tiger’

Mauled Man Aimed ‘To Be One With The Tiger’, David Villalobos is charged with trespassing after leaping into a Bronx Zoo exhibit. Mauled NY man: I wanted to be one with the tiger, Before his now-infamous tangle with a Bronx Zoo tiger, David Villalobos adorned his Facebook page with New Age odes to Mother Earth and affirmations like, “Be love and fearless.”

Police said Saturday that Villalobos had told detectives that it was without fear that he leaped from an elevated train into the animal’s den. His reason, they said, was that “he wanted to be one with the tiger.”

Villalobos also recounted how, after he landed on all fours, the 400-pound beast attacked him and dragged around by his foot, said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne. Despite serious injuries, he claimed he was able to get his wish and pet the tiger – a male Siberian named Bashuta – before his rescue, the spokesman added.

Based on those admissions and a complaint from the zoo, police charged the hospitalized Villalobos with misdemeanor trespassing on Saturday. It was unclear if the 25-year-old real estate agent had an attorney, and attempts to reach relatives were unsuccessful.

Villalobos’ big-cat exploits Friday afternoon were an instant tabloid sensation: A front page New York Post story on Saturday was headlined “MAULED!” The Daily News countered with “ZOO-ICIDE,” speculating a death wish.

Police had said earlier that Villalobos admitted to a police officer at the scene that he made a conscious decision to jump – “Everyone has a reason for what they do in life,” he was quoted as saying – but that his motives were murky and an arrest uncertain.