Witnesses have described the final moments of a man who was mauled to death by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, saying he appeared to bow down to the animal before the attack. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 10, after the man climbed into the tiger enclosure.
A video circulating on Facebook shows a man sitting next to a tiger at the attraction, being bitten and clawed at, as he appears to attempt to communicate with the animal. Anthony Hunt, 22, a university graduate, and Scarlet Hogan, 21, a pharmacy worker, were at the park when the tragedy unfolded.
Witnesses describe 'praying' and 'bowing' before attack
Ms Hogan said the man appeared to take selfies before 'getting on the floor and starting to pray' after entering the pen. Mr 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."
Mr Hunt described how the man gestured towards the tiger in his final moments. He said: "He had his arms wide open like he was saying: 'Come here, tiger. Kill me.' Then the tiger came and started to attack him. 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."
Emergency response and police statement
Mr Hunt said: "I have never frozen before in my life, but I just froze." Emergency services were called to the scene at 1.35pm on Saturday, with an air ambulance and two ambulances attending. The park was closed all weekend following the incident.
South Yorkshire Police released a statement on Saturday evening. It said: "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. 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. Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries. We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this footage."
