A man died after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with witnesses saying he appeared to bow to the animal before the attack. Police and paramedics were called to the site near Doncaster at about 1.35pm on Saturday following reports that the man had jumped into the enclosure. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, South Yorkshire Police said.
Witnesses describe final moments
Anthony Hunt, 22, a university graduate, and Scarlet Hogan, 21, a pharmacy worker, were visiting the park when the incident unfolded. Mr Hunt said: "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."
Mr Hunt added: "He had his arms wide open like he was saying: 'Come here, tiger. Kill me.' Then the tiger came and started to attack him." Ms Hogan recalled seeing the man appear to take selfies before "getting on the floor and starting to pray" after entering the pen.
Attempts to intervene
A visitor who watched the attack said a woman tried to pull the man back onto the viewing bridge above the enclosure but "wasn't strong enough". The man "pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft" into the pen, the visitor said. Another witness said the man "knelt in front of the tiger," who initially circled him before grabbing him by the neck. The witness added: "The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man."
One onlooker said she was left "frozen" as she watched the man inside the enclosure. She said: "The man started praying to the tiger, bowing down to it – the tiger looked a bit confused. Up until he got attacked, it was like he was in a trance, not in reality at all. He had arms wide open ready for the tiger to attack him. It was quite bad. We were just stood there, frozen... the last thing we saw was the tiger's jaw on his neck."
Park response and tiger's fate
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said in a social media post that its sympathies were with the family and loved ones of the man who was killed and that "the staff team were deeply affected by events". The park's website said it was due to reopen on Monday, with tickets available for sale, although it was not confirmed whether visitors would be able to enter the tiger enclosure.
The park confirmed that Altai the tiger, a 30 stone Amur tiger, is "safe and well" and will not be euthanised. A spokesman said: "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."
Animal ranger Charlotte Pywell said the keepers were "all distraught". She said: "It was not the tigers fault at all. It was just something else to play with." Expert animal keeper Reece Oliver told Sky News: "You can't say the tiger was being malice. But what we have to think is, the tiger is 200 kilos. If it really wanted to kill him, it could've probably killed him in ten seconds."
Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, said he was "deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident" and thanked emergency services for their speed and professionalism. Police have contacted the man's family, who are being supported by specialist officers, but have not released details of his identity.
