A woman has described the moments before a tiger fatally mauled a man at Yorkshire Wildlife Park last weekend. Ella Ford, 24, was visiting the park with her boyfriend when she saw William Chapman enter the tiger enclosure.
Emergency services arrived shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday, October 10, but Mr Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene. The park remains closed, and a reopening date has not been confirmed.
Witness describes the attack
Ella noticed Mr Chapman pacing around the animal enclosure before he entered it. She recalled members of the public desperately trying to get help as the tiger launched its attack. One man banged on the fence to scare the animal away, but the tiger "took no notice". Keepers managed to frighten away the tiger, named Altai, by firing gas-powered acoustic guns into the air, causing it to retreat to a nearby shelter.
Ella told the Liverpool Echo: "It's all a bit of a blur. I tried to look away but I couldn't. I just remember hearing people say 'Oh my God.' Everyone was trying to get their kids away because they knew what was about to happen."
Family statement and criticism of social media posts
Mr Chapman's family released a statement through South Yorkshire Police, saying he had suffered from "significant mental illness" over a number of years and had been prescribed "strong medication". They added: "It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death. We would ask everybody to respect that process."
The family also asked for privacy, stating that "the publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time". The statement described William as "a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved - and William loved them back".
Donald Trump shared a video showing the animal biting and clawing at the man, though not the actual killing. He then posted an AI video of himself wrestling with a tiger with 'In The Jungle' playing in the background. The posts have been heavily criticised, with Carole Malone calling it "offensive" and Piers Morgan saying: "This is appallingly tasteless. Delete it, President Trump." South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said the President had used AI to "mock the incident and the pain felt by the family".
Witness pleads for understanding
Del Taylor, who took Mr Chapman's final photograph, fought back tears as she pleaded with trolls to think before they post. She said it was "upsetting" to know she had taken the last photograph of him and hit out at "not very nice" and "presumptuous" comments online. In a video posted on TikTok, she said: "I just wish people would take a moment to think about why maybe he'd do something like this. Maybe it was a lack of danger, awareness of danger."
An inquest is scheduled to open into Chapman's death tomorrow at Doncaster Coroner's Court, Civic Office, Waterdale.
