A woman who photographed a man moments before he was fatally mauled by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park has said he appeared to be alone before climbing into the enclosure. Del Taylor was visiting the park near Doncaster on Saturday when the man asked her to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background. She agreed, unaware he would soon climb over a barrier and enter the enclosure housing the Siberian tiger, Altai.
Witness describes moments before attack
Speaking to The Sun, Ms Taylor said the man had been dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure before approaching her. She said: “He was completely alone. At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me.”
Ms Taylor, who was visiting with her partner, said he had been recording the tiger when the man approached them. The visitor asked her: “Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?” She took his phone and photographed him with the animal visible behind him.
Footage captures final moments
Footage recorded by her partner captured the man laughing as he asked for another picture, repeating: “One more, one more, one more.” He then thanked her, saying: “Thank you, lady.”
Ms Taylor and her partner walked away after taking the photographs. Moments later, the man climbed over the barrier and dropped into the enclosure. Another witness reportedly saw a woman try to prevent him from going in, but said he pulled away from her before climbing down and jumping into the enclosure.
Emergency response and investigation
The witness said the man landed around 12ft below and knelt in front of the tiger. The man was heard shouting “No, no, no” and “Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop” as Altai circled him before lunging towards his neck. In footage of the incident, a woman's voice can also be heard saying: “I tried to stop him.” It is not clear whether the woman heard in the recording was the same person another witness described trying to prevent the man from entering the enclosure.
Keepers rushed to intervene, using gas-powered acoustic guns to frighten Altai away from the man. The tiger retreated, but the man could not be saved. South Yorkshire Police said officers received reports of a man entering the enclosure at 1.35pm on Saturday. A force statement said: “The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.”
Emergency services attended, but despite the efforts of medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police confirmed the tiger was uninjured and remained inside the enclosure, adding there was no wider risk to the public. Officers also urged people not to share footage of the attack online.
The incident prompted the evacuation of Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which closed while authorities investigated what had happened. The park said its emergency response procedures had been activated and that it was working closely with the authorities. Altai arrived at the attraction in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born.
