A man has died after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, after reportedly dancing and posing for a photo before leaping over the fence on Saturday. The man, who has yet to be identified, was attacked by an Amur tiger named Altai moments after he deliberately jumped into the enclosure.
Witnesses describe the incident
Horrified onlookers attempted to stop the man from leaping into the tiger enclosure in the moments before the attack. The man was reportedly dancing while wearing Apple AirPods before he vaulted the fence at around 1:30pm. He reportedly posed for a photograph with the tiger visible in the background before jumping into the enclosure from the viewing platform.
One visitor claimed a woman tried to pull the man back to safety on the platform, but that she "wasn't strong enough." Once inside the enclosure, the victim "knelt in front of the tiger," which did not immediately attack, instead circling him.
Fatal attack and response
A 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."
Tragically, it was subsequently confirmed that the man had died from injuries sustained during the mauling. Yorkshire Wildlife Park, located near Doncaster, confirmed the tiger would not be euthanised following the fatal incident.
Tiger will not be euthanised
"We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday's] tragic incident," a spokesperson said. "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." Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed it would stay shut throughout Monday while investigations into the death continue.
Ella Ford, 24, from Moreton, Wirral, had been at the park with her boyfriend and captured footage of the moments preceding the attack. She claimed the man had been "pacing around with his headphones in". Moments afterwards, she witnessed the same individual had "climbed up onto the barriers". Another witness, who wished to remain anonymous, reported hearing what resembled 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 came to the park from Norward to breed with their sole other tiger, a female Siberian called Tschuna, in March 2025. Upon his arrival, 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."
