The man who died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster has been named as William Chapman, believed to be in his early 20s. Police described Mr Chapman as vulnerable. The incident occurred on Saturday, and the park remains closed for a fourth day as inquiries continue.
Footage shows encounter with tiger
Video footage reportedly filmed by Mr Chapman from within the enclosure shows him moving towards Altai, a five-year-old Amur tiger, as the animal rests on a wooden structure. Heavy breathing can be heard in the recording as onlookers plead with him to retreat, with one voice calling out: "Seriously."
One witness reported "you could see blood" and recounted observing the tiger "dragging the man" by his neck. Park wardens discharged warning shots in an attempt to frighten the animal away before it withdrew and was contained.
Witness describes moments before attack
Emergency responders arrived shortly after 1.30pm, but Mr Chapman was declared dead at the location. It has also emerged that a woman tried to prevent Mr Chapman from accessing the enclosure moments before the attack. Witness Anthony Hunt told The Telegraph: "He overpowered her and jumped off. She seemed really frightened. We spoke to her after and she was like, 'I tried to pull him back' but I guess she didn't want to risk her own life as well."
Mr Hunt also said he had witnessed Mr Chapman "dancing erratically" upon his arrival at the park earlier that day. It is believed Mr Chapman leapt from a viewing platform into the enclosure before the tiger attacked. Reports suggest he had posed for a photo with the animal visible in the background just moments before entering the enclosure.
Park remains closed, tiger safe
Following the attack, the wildlife park was evacuated and screens were put up around the scene. It remains shut while staff members affected by the ordeal receive specialist support. Yorkshire Wildlife Park has confirmed that Altai is "safe and well" and will not be put down. South Yorkshire Police previously confirmed that the tiger was unharmed and stayed within its enclosure following the incident.
The force stated: "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." Police have also appealed to the public to refrain from sharing footage of the fatal attack after videos began circulating on social media.
The park's website shows it is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, October 14, from 9.45am to 5pm, while the adjacent Yorkshire Hive continues operating as normal. The park's Land of the Tigers exhibit launched in 2011 and is a specially constructed two-acre habitat for Amur tigers. The endangered subspecies is among the world's rarest big cats, with roughly 500 thought to survive in the wild.
