A man who jumped into the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday died after the animal grabbed him by the neck. The tiger, named Altai, will not be euthanised, the park has confirmed.
The man, who has not yet been named, reportedly danced while wearing Apple AirPods before jumping the fence at about 1:30pm. He reportedly posed for a photo with the Amur tiger in the background before leaping from the viewing platform. A visitor claimed a woman attempted to pull the man back onto the platform but that she "wasn't strong enough."
Witness describes moments before attack
Once inside the enclosure, the victim "knelt in front of the tiger," which did not initially attack and just circled him. A witness said: "But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling, 'No', and the tiger grabbed him by the neck."
"It all happened very fast. The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man."
Park reassures public over tiger's fate
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, said the tiger would not be euthanised following the fatal mauling. A spokesperson said: "We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday's] tragic incident. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life."
"Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident."
Park closed as investigation continues
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said it will remain closed for the whole of Monday as investigations continue into the death. Ella Ford, 24, from Moreton, Wirral, had been visiting the park with her boyfriend and filmed the moments before the attack. She claimed the man had been "pacing around with his headphones in".
Just moments later, she saw the same man had "climbed up onto the barriers". Another person, who did not want to be identified, said they heard what sounded like gunshots once the man entered the enclosure. "Then everyone was evacuated and the police and air ambulance were here in a flash," they said. "It's been empty since."
Altai arrived at the park from Norward to mate with their only other tiger, a female Siberian named Tschuna, in March 2025. When he arrived, Director of Animals Charlotte MacDonald said: "We are delighted with Altai. He is a beautiful, huge cat and very calm and receptive, his keepers at Dyreparken have clearly done a great job with him."
