A witness has expressed utter shock as a man filmed himself approaching a tiger enclosure moments before he was mauled to death. The chilling footage shows William Chapman, 23, breathing heavily as he walks towards Altai, a male Amur tiger, inside Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.
In the background, stunned visitors can be heard reacting to what they are witnessing, with one voice exclaiming "Oh my God" before another says "seriously". The short clip emerged earlier this week and appears to have been filmed by Chapman himself.
Fatal incident details
Chapman died on Saturday, October 10, after entering the big cat's enclosure. Emergency services were called shortly after 1.30pm, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier, Chapman had reportedly asked a visitor to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background. He then began climbing into the enclosure, despite a woman attempting to hold him back, before dropping around 12 feet to the ground.
Footage and inquest
Footage recorded by other visitors captured the moments before the fatal attack, with Chapman heard shouting "no, no, no" and "stop, stop, stop, stop, stop" as the tiger circled him before lunging towards his neck.
An inquest into Chapman's death opened at Doncaster Coroner's Court on Thursday, October 15, with further proceedings expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Mental health background
During the hearing, a coroner's officer told the court that Chapman's family had confirmed he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, had experienced previous bouts of psychosis and was under the care of Doncaster Mental Health Services.
The officer added that, despite his diagnosis, Chapman was "highly functioning and independent". His family have raised concerns about his contact with mental health services in the period leading up to his death.
The 23-year-old's relatives described him as a "bright, warm and engaging young man" and said they were devastated by his loss.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has confirmed that Altai is safe and will not be euthanised following the attack. Doncaster Council has launched a health and safety investigation into the incident, while a full inquest is scheduled for March 2027.
