Man mauled by tiger pleads guilty to trespassing

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

David Villalobos, 25, jumped 17-feet off an electric monorail ride and over an electric fence into the tiger den, suffering bite wounds on his arms, legs shoulders and back, as well as a broken ankle and arm on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. (ABCNews Photo)

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NEW YORK -- A man who was mauled after jumping into a Bronx Zoo tiger den will have to spend time in a mental health facility as part of his conditional discharge.

The New York Daily News (http://nydn.us/1bvHLHh) reports that David Villalobos pleaded guilty Tuesday to trespassing.

The 26-year-old Mahopac, N.Y. resident must spend one year in the psychiatric facility as part of a plea bargain deal.

Villalobos jumped from a monorail train that tours the zoo's Wild Asia exhibit in September 2012. He scaled a fence to reach the Siberian tiger named Bashuta and was attacked and seriously injured.

According to the court complaint, he told police it was "a spiritual thing." He said he wanted to be "at one with the tiger."

Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com