Another incident at Skopje Zoo: A young woman climbed the fence at the monkey enclosure - the problem isn't the visitor, it's the fence

Another incident at the Skopje Zoo. A young female visitor climbed the fence at the monkey enclosure. The footage is already circulating - it shows a zoo employee rushing over to warn her she is in danger. The woman, reportedly trying to take a photograph, had crossed the safety line.

For anyone tracking the trend - this isn't the first incident of its kind at this zoo. In 2025 visitors were photographed throwing objects into the lion enclosure. Later that same year, another tourist tried to „pet" the bear. All of it ended with a reprimand and no consequences.

The question worth asking isn't „why did she do that?". It is - „why did the fence let her climb it?". Zoos in Vienna, Berlin and Barcelona have double fences, moats and an electric line on top. The Skopje zoo has one, single low fence that any fully grown girl can step over. That is not the visitor's mistake. That is an infrastructure failure.

The Skopje Zoo has had safety problems for years. The cages are worn out, the visible barriers are inadequate and the staff - even when they react - cannot physically be everywhere at once. Funding is limited, the zoological department of the local government has traditionally been underinvested. Result: every few months, a new incident.

For the animals, this isn't fun. Monkeys living in confined space already carry psychological stress. When unfamiliar humans approach without warning, outside the natural points of interaction, they react. If they react, the risk of injuring a visitor is real. If they injure themselves - then the zoo is dealing with a traumatised animal that can no longer be returned to the wild.

The solution is simple: better fences, more distance, serious penalties for stepping over the line. Zoos are not „theme parks". They are institutions for species conservation. When they become photo-op playgrounds, that isn't a visitors' mistake. It is a mistake by the people who still have to learn that safety isn't a luxury. It is the minimum.