A woman who took what is almost certainly the last photograph of a man mauled to death by a tiger has described the chilling moments before he climbed into the animal's enclosure. Del Taylor was visiting Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday when the man approached her and asked her to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background. She agreed, unaware that moments later he would climb over a safety barrier and enter the enclosure, where he was fatally attacked by the big cat.
Chilling request for a photo
Speaking to The Sun, Ms Taylor described how the man asked: “Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?” She took his phone while he posed with the Siberian tiger behind him.
Footage recorded by Ms Taylor's partner captured the man laughing as he asked for another picture, repeating: “One more, one more, one more.” He then thanked her, saying: “Thank you, lady.”
The attack and emergency response
The couple walked away after taking the photographs. Moments later, the man climbed over the barrier and entered the tiger's enclosure. The man, believed to be in his 20s, was killed by the tiger, named Altai, as horrified visitors watched the attack unfold.
South Yorkshire Police said officers received reports of a man entering the enclosure at 1.35pm on Saturday. A force statement said: “The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.”
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but despite the efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident prompted the evacuation of the wildlife park, with staff moving visitors away from the area as emergency crews responded.
Aftermath and police investigation
Witnesses described hearing loud bangs as keepers tried to distract the tiger. The animal was not shot and remained inside its enclosure. Police later urged members of the public not to share distressing footage of the fatal attack circulating online. The force confirmed the tiger was uninjured and said there was no wider risk to the public.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said it had immediately activated its emergency response procedures and was working with the authorities to establish exactly what happened. The park also confirmed that Altai would not be euthanised following the incident.
The tiger arrived at the attraction in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born. The park's Land of the Tigers area opened in 2011 and features a purpose-built, two-acre reserve for Siberian tigers, an endangered species with around 500 estimated to remain in the wild.
The tragedy has left visitors and staff shaken, with the park expressing its sympathies to the dead man's family and loved ones. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the man's entry into the enclosure.
