Wild footage shows the moment a tiger lunges at a woman after she hopped a fence at a New Jersey zoo to taunt the giant beast.

In the clip, the unidentified daredevil can be seen trying to entice a Bengal tiger at the  Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton by sticking her hand through a wire enclosure.

Video shows the cat coming in for a closer look before lunging and swiping its paw at the woman as she rips her hand back.

After the close call, the woman can be seen casually walking away and jumping back over the fence to safety.

Video shows the cat coming in for a closer look before lunging and swiping its paw at the woman

Video shows the cat coming in for a closer look before lunging and swiping its paw at the woman

The unidentified woman can be seen trying to stick her hand through a wire enclosure

The unidentified woman can be seen trying to stick her hand through a wire enclosure

After ripping her hand back, the woman can be casually walking away and jumping back over the fence to safety

After ripping her hand back, the woman can be casually walking away and jumping back over the fence to safety

The nearly 650-pound feline was born in 2016 and donated to the Cohanzick Zoo from North Carolina

The nearly 650-pound feline was born in 2016 and donated to the Cohanzick Zoo from North Carolina

 

The Bridgeton Police Department, which released the footage on Tuesday but did not specify when the incident occurred, is now looking for the woman, NBC reported.

John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told People: ‘Any visitor behavior that places the animals, staff and members of the public in a potentially dangerous situation is unacceptable and will be addressed accordingly.’

The nearly 650-pound tiger was born in 2016 and donated to the Cohanzick Zoo from North Carolina.

It is one of two brothers currently living in the enclosure.

According to the zoo, the Bengal is considered the second largest tiger after the Siberian tiger.