A jaguar attacked a woman who climbed over a barrier to take a photograph with the animal at a US zoo.
A witness described how the woman was near enough to the cage for the animal to reach through its bars and sink its claws into her skin.
At least one gash was visible on the her arm after the incident at the Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona.
"I hear this young girl screaming: 'Help, help, help'... and the jaguar has clasped its claws outside the cage around her hand and into her flesh," Adam Wilkerson told Fox 10 television.
He said his mother managed to distract the jaguar by pushing a water bottle through the cage while he pulled the woman away.
Mobile phone footage shot later showed the animal chewing on a plastic water bottle.
The woman was also seen on the ground, screaming and writhing in pain, as she was treated for her injuries.
Shawn Gilleland, a spokesman for Rural Metro Fire which attended the scene, said the woman "wanted to take a selfie or a picture of the animal".
He said: "She put her arm close enough to the cage that the cat was able to reach her."
The zoo's statement said the female jaguar never left its enclosure and the incident was being fully investigated.
Responding to public concerns the animal might be put down, the zoo said on Twitter: "We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar."
The barrier which the woman went over surrounds the entire exhibit and creates a buffer of several feet from the enclosure, zoo spokeswoman Kristy Morcom told Fox 10
"There is climbing involved. It's not something that is easily done," Ms Morcom said. "These are wild animals and those barriers are put there for a reason."
