President Donald Trump has shared graphic footage of a Yorkshire man being attacked by a tiger, adding a warning to his followers: 'Don't ever mess with nature!'
The video, which Metro is not sharing due to its graphic nature, shows William Chapman, 24, lying on the ground and seemingly pleading with the tiger before the animal begins biting him. Chapman was mauled by a Siberian tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park just days earlier.
AI video and social media spree
Trump also posted an AI-generated video of himself in the tiger's enclosure, in which he outwits the animal as 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' plays in the background. In the clip, Trump appears to befriend the tiger after rolling around and play fighting with it.
The posts came as part of a manic posting spree on social media, drawing widespread attention to the incident.
Background of the attack
Chapman filmed his final moments as he approached Altai, a five-year-old endangered Amur tiger, and posted the video on Instagram after falling into the enclosure. Eyewitnesses, heard screaming for help in the background, said they saw the cat pounce on the man and maul him to death.
Chapman, who was visiting the park alone, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was seen wearing headphones and pacing near the pen after asking for a photo, with witnesses claiming he was dancing to 'psyche himself up' moments before.
Family statement and investigation
In a statement, Chapman's family said he had suffered from 'significant mental illness' over several years and had been prescribed 'strong medication'.
'William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back,' their statement read. 'The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did.'
A coroner is set to determine whether his undisclosed mental illness played any role in his death.
