Would You Be This Brave?

A video has surfaced of a man who decided he would give a zoo animal a spank.

A man climbed a barrier at the Los Angeles Zoo and then slapped a hippopotamus on its rear end. The LAPD has now launched a criminal investigation.

Zoo officials learned about the incident last week, after a video of the spanking began circulating on social media. Zoo officials responded by reporting the episode to police and by posting a “No Trespassing” sign on the exhibit.

The video shows the man vaulting a railing and creeping up slowly on two hippos, Rosie and Mara. The man then reaches out and slaps Rosie, who is almost 4 years old. The loud slap appears to startle Mara — Rosie’s mother — and she quickly lifts her head as the man runs off and raises his arms in a gesture of victory. Rosie does not appear to move after being struck.

California State law prohibits entry into zoo enclosures, and violation of this law can be a misdemeanor or an infraction.