Woman Who Fed Cheetos to Monkeys at Zoo Says 'I Didn't Do Anything Wrong'

The woman who went viral after she jumped into an animal enclosure at the El Paso Zoo in Texas to feed the spider monkeys Cheetos has said she did not do anything wrong.

The woman, identified as Luz "Lucy" Rae, was caught on camera last May hopping into one of the enclosures at the zoo and then throwing a handful of Cheetos at the animals. She was arrested for criminal trespassing and subsequently fired. There is now a pending criminal lawsuit but Rae, who is working for a new law firm, insists her actions were not a crime.

"Well, I don't think I did anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. I did not hurt anyone," Rae told ABC-7.

When video first emerged of Rae feeding the animals, she came under fire for ignoring a sign posted on the enclosure warning guests not to feed the animals. At the time, zoo officials claimed the monkeys were on a strict diet, but Rae and her new boss, attorney Mark T. Davis, both argue that one Cheeto would not harm the animals' health.

"No animal was ever abused," Davis said, adding that there are many videos online that show monkeys consuming all types of human food, like "popcorn" and even "beer."

Rae further argues that her presence did not affect the monkeys, saying they were "extremely excited" when she climbed into the enclosure, but El Paso Zoo's chief veterinarian, Dr. Victoria Milne, said this was not true.

"I can see how people would look at it and see a monkey making noise and jumping around, and that's really cute and fun, but the people who know those monkeys know they were actually really upset," she said in response to Rae's claim.

And while Milne said the monkeys were on diets comprising of special foods, the real issue is that Rae climbed into the enclosure and came so close to the monkeys, who do not even come that close to their handlers.

"Just having people jump in and do whatever they feel like can be really disruptive for those animals on the short-term and really unhealthy and unsafe for those animals in the long-term," Milne explained.

Investigation into Rae's case is still open, meaning that the district attorney's office cannot prosecute the criminal trial until they are handed all evidence and facts from the police, according to ABC-7. In the meantime, Rae is not banned from the zoo. A decision on how to handle the situation is pending the outcome of the criminal case.

Rae, meanwhile, said she had no plans to apologize. Her takeaway from the whole ordeal?

"I learned just keep the Cheetos to myself. I can't share," Rae said.

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