Witnesses have revealed the chilling words heard moments before William Chapman was fatally mauled by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Eyewitnesses described the horrifying final moments before the fatal attack by an Amur tiger at the Doncaster attraction on Saturday.
As the incident unfolded, helpless visitors reportedly tried to tell Mr Chapman to "play dead" in a desperate attempt to save his life. But according to eyewitness accounts reported by Sky News, he appeared not to respond to their warnings and was instead heard telling the tiger: "Stop being naughty."
Witness accounts of the incident
Witnesses described seeing Mr Chapman down on all fours inside the enclosure as horrified onlookers attempted to tell him what to do. One person who captured images of the incident described the moment the tiger appeared to notice Mr Chapman, telling Sky News its eyes suddenly "jolt towards the victim".
The witness initially believed the animal's sudden movement was because it had spotted a zookeeper carrying food. Mr Chapman was also reportedly seen gesturing towards the tiger before the fatal attack.
Sky News reported that shortly before entering the enclosure, Mr Chapman had been standing in an area accessible to visitors, listening to music through headphones and dancing. He then approached a nearby couple and asked them to take a photograph of him, which they did. Soon afterwards, he entered the enclosure.
Emergency response and investigation
Emergency services were called to Yorkshire Wildlife Park shortly after 1pm on Saturday, October 10, following reports that a man had entered the tiger enclosure. After entering the enclosure, Mr Chapman was attacked by Altai, an Amur tiger, and was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to save him.
Footage from the horrific incident has since emerged showing Mr Chapman inside the enclosure as the tiger repeatedly moved towards him. In one clip, he could reportedly be heard shouting: "No, no, no!" and "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!" Separate footage appears to show Mr Chapman sitting on the grass just feet from the animal, gesturing towards it and moving his legs in its direction.
Witnesses have also described the moments immediately before he entered the enclosure. Del Taylor, who was visiting the wildlife park with her boyfriend, said Mr Chapman had appeared happy when he approached her and asked her to take a photograph of him with the tiger. Speaking in a video shared on TikTok, she said: "He was so happy and then he's come and placed himself next to us and he passed me his phone and he asked me for a photo."
Mr Chapman reportedly asked: "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?" Footage taken by Ms Taylor's partner reportedly captured him laughing and asking for another photograph, saying: "One more, one more, one more." After his phone was handed back, he reportedly said: "Thank you lady." The couple then walked away before Mr Chapman entered the enclosure.
Aftermath and ongoing inquiries
Yorkshire Wildlife Park was closed following the fatal attack, while police launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Doncaster Council has also launched a health and safety investigation. The wildlife park has confirmed Altai will not be put to sleep following the fatal attack.
