Alleged Orangutan Touching At Fresno Zoo Lands Merced Man Behind Bars

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Authorities in Central California say a 24-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly scaling a five-foot barrier at Fresno Chaffee Zoo to reach under an enclosure and touch an orangutan.

The Fresno Bee reports (http://bit.ly/1d2y4X7) the ape scratched Ramiro Hernandez's arm several times but the man was not seriously injured.

Fresno police spokesman Lt. Joe Gomez says Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing in an enclosed animal cage and was cited to appear in court.

Gomez says that Hernandez told authorities he is from Merced and that he was dropped off at the zoo by a friend.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.