The family of William Chapman, who was killed by a tiger at a wildlife park, have said “deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress” after US President Donald Trump reposted a widely shared video of the incident.
Mr Trump posted footage of Mr Chapman being fatally attacked by a tiger at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park to 13 million followers on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday evening.
Family tribute and concerns
The 23-year-old’s family posted a tribute, also on Tuesday evening, describing him as a “bright, warm and engaging young man”, criticising the online reaction to his death and questioning what part his “significant mental illness over a number of years” and prescribed strong medication played in the incident.
“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” they said. “The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this.”
They added: “The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their upmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did.”
Trump's posts and AI video
The US president accompanied the short clip – which showed the animal biting and clawing Mr Chapman as he sat in the enclosure, but not him being killed – with the signed message: “Don’t ever mess with nature!”
On Wednesday morning Mr Trump followed this up with another post – this time an AI-generated video of him grappling with a tiger, which appears to mimic the original. The clip, which is accompanied by the Tight Fit hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, features the president copying the pointing gesture made by Mr Chapman, and ends with him hugging the animal.
Mr Trump also posted a video montage that appeared to show a series of other people being mauled by lions accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack.
Background and investigation
Mr Chapman, who was mauled to death when he entered the tiger enclosure at the park in Doncaster on Saturday, had suffered from “significant mental illness over a number of years”, the family said in their statement. They noted: “It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death.”
As a child, Mr Chapman appeared in ITV’s May Contain Nuts, alongside Harry Potter actress Shirley Henderson, and in the BBC’s True Stories series, according to IMDB. He previously attended Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which paid tribute on Facebook, saying: “We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer.”
Emergency services were contacted shortly after 1.30pm on October 10 when Mr Chapman, who police said was visiting the park alone, entered the enclosure. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for licensing the park, said on Monday it had started a health and safety investigation. Dan Swaine, executive director of place at the council, said: “As the relevant licensing authority for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, I can confirm that, in line with our statutory duties, the council has launched a health and safety investigation.”
The park will remain closed on Wednesday for a fifth day following the attack. In a previous statement on social media, the wildlife park said “many, many people” had contacted them about Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the incident, and it confirmed he is “safe and well” and will not be euthanised.
