A woman who posts on TikTok as Emma under the account @mondoemma shared a video she filmed at the Saint Louis Zoo. In the clip, she said there was a guy in the tiger enclosure who told people he works there. She added that she did not think he does.
The TikTok video has gained 1.7 million views, 121,300 likes, and almost 2,000 comments. Emma posted it with the caption “Wtf Saint Louis Zoo…” and the hashtags #saintlouiszoo and #fyp.
The video opens on a large, netted animal enclosure with rocky terrain and trees. A man wearing a leopard print shirt, light-colored shorts, and a blue baseball cap is visible inside the enclosure, walking on a rocky ledge. A display sign about “Amur Tiger” appears in the foreground, with a picture of a tiger and information about its endangered status.
Viewers focus on how the man left the tiger enclosure
Emma said in her TikTok video, “Um, so there’s a guy in the tiger enclosure and he said that he works here, but I don’t think he does.” She narrated as the man began to climb back over the enclosure’s boundary, which appears to be a rock formation topped with a black metal post and netting.
She continued, “He’s climbing back over now. Look, he just went to go hang out with the tigers and he’s climbing back over.” Below him, a man in a black tank top and a young girl in a pink outfit watch the scene.
After climbing out of the enclosure, the man in the leopard print shirt walks away from the viewing area and past other zoo visitors. Emma said they asked him if he was okay. She recounted that he said, “Yeah, I work here.” She added, “I don’t think he does. Um, what?”
The video ends as the man walks farther into the distance. Emma and other visitors appear left watching him go. The onlookers’ concern about the man’s risky behavior is understandable, as such incidents can draw attention, like when a Dallas woman noticed a man circling her at Target.
Several viewers wrote that they were more worried about how easily he left than about his claim that he works at the zoo. One commenter said they were honestly more concerned with the fact that he got out so easily and asked whether that meant the Tigers can get out that easily. Another wrote, “If he can get out like that what’s stops the tigers from doing the same.”
One viewer claimed the man is Johnny Balboa and that he has been working there for 5 years. The commenter called him a great dude and said they actually worked with him for a while at another zoo.
Another commenter said they were part of a group that talked to Emma the day before. They wrote that they were the ones with the cane and that a friend had “the sick red wheels.” They claimed, “we did see him arrested, in case you didnt see!”
A commenter who identified as a zookeeper urged people to find a worker and report it. They wrote to call the zoo number, report it, and “YELL AT THAT MAN.” Such daring public stunts have happened elsewhere, like when a Canadian woman in Florida saw a man jump out of a moving car window to get her number.
Published: Aug 31, 2026 08:06 am