Del Taylor, one of the last people to interact with the man killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park over the weekend, has issued a new update addressing online speculation and urging people to "take a moment to think".
The man, who has not been named, fell 12ft into the tiger enclosure, where he was attacked and killed by Altai, a 30 stone Amur tiger. He was heard saying "No, no, no" and "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop" as the animal grabbed him by his neck.
Witness account
Del Taylor, who was visiting the park with her boyfriend, explained how the young man approached her and asked: "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?" She previously told The Sun: "At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me. My partner was recording the tiger and you can hear me having this interaction. You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure. I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him."
The park was closed on Sunday and remained closed yesterday after the incident. Police said the man suffered "serious injuries" before he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Emotional update
In a two-and-a-half minute video shared on TikTok, Del said: "I've seen a lot of speculation online about this person, this man, and a lot of it is not very nice, very presumptuous. I just wish people would take a moment to think about why maybe he'd do something like this."
She went on to describe the moments leading up to the incident, saying: "He was so happy and then he's come and placed himself next to us and he passed me his phone and he asked me for a photo. If you'd have seen him... you would understand why I'm saying what I'm saying."
She confirmed she has spoken to the police and added: "It's so upsetting to think that apart from that awful viral video of him being attacked by the tiger online that the last photo of that man probably alive is the one that I've taken on his phone for him. But, I'm just asking people to keep a broader mind on what's happened."
She concluded: "This is all I've got to say on the matter and there is going to be a social media silence from me until this dies down now."
Investigation launched
A health and safety investigation has been launched into the death, confirmed by the site's licensing authority, City of Doncaster Council. The Health and Safety Executive earlier said it would not investigate, confirming the council would be responsible. The park has confirmed Altai will not be euthanised as a result of the incident. It is not yet clear when the park will reopen to the public.
