A man has died after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday, October 10. Emergency services were called shortly after 1.30pm when the man was attacked by the tiger, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, South Yorkshire Police said. The man's family has been informed.
Witnesses recount final moments
Witness Del Taylor was standing on the viewing platform when the unidentified man approached her and asked, "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?" She took photos of him with the Amur tiger, Altai, visible in the background. Video footage captured by her partner shows the man laughing and calling for "one more, one more, one more" before saying, "Thank you, lady."
Another visitor said she observed the man about 20 minutes before the incident, dancing on the bridge with AirPods in, and asking a stranger to take a picture. She said, "He obviously wasn't with anyone and he asked a total stranger to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background. Probably the last photo on his phone. I'm not sure if he was with a carer or family member but I honestly do think he just wanted to play with the tiger."
Attempts to stop the man
Another visitor reportedly tried to pull the man back towards the viewing platform, but he "pulled away from her" and climbed into the enclosure. Anthony Hunt told the Telegraph: "He overpowered her and jumped off. She seemed really frightened. We spoke to her after and she was like, 'I tried to pull him back' but I guess she didn't want to risk her own life as well."
The man then "knelt in front of the tiger", another witness recalled. "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 remains closed
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said it will remain closed on Monday, October 12, as investigations continue. In a message to ticketholders, the park said: "Due to the serious incident that occurred at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday, the 10th of October, unfortunately the park remains closed for the whole of Monday, the 12th October. Anyone with a booking for this date will be contacted within the next five working days with details of how to reschedule your booking. We apologise for the late notice any inconvenience caused."
Police said the tiger was uninjured and remained in the enclosure, and there is no wider risk to the public. Park staff fired gas-powered acoustic guns into the air to frighten Altai off, and staff have been provided with "specialist support". An insider said: "Shots were fired into the air to make a noise and distract the tiger. The animal wasn't shot and is absolutely fine and not injured. The barriers are huge. You would have to really want to get inside the enclosure to be able to do it. From start to end the incident was over within minutes. The keepers did everything they could. It's horrific."
