A man was fatally mauled by a tiger after entering its enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, despite desperate attempts by visitors to stop him. The park, near Doncaster, remained closed on Monday (October 12) as investigators continued to look into the death.
Victim climbed into enclosure
Witnesses said the man, who has not yet been named, climbed into the enclosure shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday. The victim had reportedly been seen dancing while wearing Apple AirPods before posing for a photograph with the Amur tiger, Altai, in the background.
He then climbed over barriers and entered the enclosure from a viewing platform. A visitor claimed a woman tried to pull him back to safety but "wasn't strong enough", according to The Mirror.
Attack happened 'very fast'
Footage appears to show the victim "knelt in front of the tiger," once inside the enclosure, which prompted the tiger to circle him. "But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling, 'No', and the tiger grabbed him by the neck," a witness described. "It all happened very fast. The tiger staff were in there quickly and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man."
Tragically, it was later confirmed that a man had died from injuries sustained in the mauling. Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed the tiger would not be euthanised following the fatal mauling.
Park's response and tiger's future
"We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday's] tragic incident," a spokesperson said. "Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life."
"Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident."
Another woman who was visiting the park on the day of the incident described how the victim had been "pacing around with his headphones in" before the attack. Ella Ford, 24, from Moreton, Wirral, was visiting with her boyfriend and filming near the enclosure when she saw the same man had "climbed up onto the barriers".
The Mirror also reports that another visitor, who wished to remain anonymous, said they heard what sounded like gunshots once the man entered the enclosure. "Then everyone was evacuated and the police and air ambulance were here in a flash," they said. "It's been empty since."
Altai arrived at the park from Norway to mate with their only other tiger, a female Siberian named Tschuna, in March 2025. When he arrived, Director of Animals Charlotte MacDonald said: "We are delighted with Altai. He is a beautiful, huge cat and very calm and receptive, his keepers at Dyreparken have clearly done a great job with him."
