Innocent plea in tiger-den jump at NY's Bronx Zoo

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who was mauled after jumping into a Bronx Zoo tiger den has pleaded not guilty to trespassing.

The New York Post reports (http://bit.ly/12LUk0S ) that David Villalobos (vee-uh-LOH'-bohs) entered the plea Tuesday in Bronx Criminal Court.

The Mahopac (MAY'-oh-pak), N.Y. resident jumped Sept. 21 from a monorail train that tours the zoo's Wild Asia exhibit. He was attacked and seriously injured by a Siberian tiger named Bashuta.

Workers used a fire extinguisher to chase the animal away and rescue Villalobos.

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

He attended Tuesday's court session with his parents and left without commenting.

His lawyer said he would eventually explain what happened.

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Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com