Witnesses have described the final moments of a man who entered a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park and was fatally mauled, with reports he appeared to 'bow down' to the animal before the attack. The man died after climbing into the enclosure on Saturday, October 10.
Footage circulating on Facebook shows the man seated beside a tiger at the attraction, being bitten and clawed in deeply disturbing scenes, while seemingly attempting to interact with the animal. Anthony Hunt, 22, a university graduate, and Scarlet Hogan, 21, a pharmacy worker, were at the park when the tragedy unfolded.
Witness accounts of the incident
Ms Hogan recalled that the man appeared to take selfies before 'getting on the floor and starting to pray' upon entering the enclosure. Hunt added: "It looked like a performance."
"He got down where everyone could see him in the main viewing area. He was on all fours, praying and bowing down to the tiger. It was like he was waiting for the tiger," Hunt said.
Hunt further described how the man made gestures towards the tiger in his final moments, saying: "He had his arms wide open like he was saying: 'Come here, tiger. Kill me.' Then the tiger came and started to attack him."
Emergency response and police statement
"He started to fight back and screamed. It was like he was just detached from reality. The last thing we saw was the tiger on his neck," Hunt said. He added: "I have never frozen before in my life, but I just froze."
Emergency services were dispatched to the scene at 1.35pm on Saturday, with an air ambulance and two further ambulances in attendance. The park remained closed throughout the entire weekend following the incident.
South Yorkshire Police issued a statement on Saturday evening, which read: "At 1.35pm today (Saturday 10 October) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury."
"Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The man's family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers."
No wider risk to the public
"Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time. Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public," the statement continued.
Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remained on scene carrying out enquiries. Police also noted they were aware of videos circulating online and encouraged people not to share the footage.
