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Caught on camera: Woman enters zoo's monkey exhibit, attempts to feed them

A woman has lost her job at a law firm and faces potential charges after she was caught on video climbing into an exhibit at the El Paso Zoo.
/ Source: TODAY

A woman has lost her job, and the El Paso Zoo plans to press charges after she was caught on video climbing into the spider monkey exhibit last weekend.

The unidentified woman is seen in a 38-second video shared on Instagram that appears to show her inside the enclosure feeding the monkeys under a waterfall.

El Paso Zoo officials plan to press charges "for allegedly breaching security," according to NBC affiliate KTSM.

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Lovett Law Firm in El Paso, Texas, wrote on Facebook Monday that the woman was an employee of the firm and has been fired.

"The firm has always been a strong supporter of animals and animal advocacy," the law firm wrote. "We absolutely do not condone this irresponsible and reckless behavior. We support the El Paso Zoo and our thoughts go out to the spider monkeys, Libby and Sunday, and hope that they will recover from this very traumatic experience."

Zoo officials also are planning to alter the barrier to make it more difficult for people to enter the exhibit.

"It was stupid," zoo director Joe Montisano told the El Paso Times. "She knew what she was doing was wrong. She's very fortunate that it didn't have a worse outcome for her or the animals. These are primates. They are strong; they have canine teeth. They can scratch. We don't interact with them on the daily. And we don't interact with them without a barrier in between us."