Donald Trump has shared a video on his social media account of a British man being attacked by a tiger moments before he died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster. The US president posted the clip on his Truth Social platform, along with the caption: "Don't ever mess with nature!".
Victim identified as William Chapman
The tragic victim has been identified as William Chapman. Police confirmed the man had visited the park alone. Witnesses described how he appeared to "bow down" to the tiger and was reportedly seen "dancing" as to "hype" himself up before entering the site.
Emergency services were alerted shortly after 1.30pm on October 10 when Mr Chapman, who police confirmed was visiting the park alone, entered the enclosure.
Witness accounts and speculation
Some witnesses suggested it was clear the man had some kind of special needs or even deaf after he was spotted seemingly trying to use sign language to scold the beast.
While some have suggested the victim was pointing at the animal with his index finger as to scold the tiger by saying "no!", others have speculated that he was actually pointing with his little finger. In Makaton sign language, this means "bad!".
Investigation and park closure
The park was evacuated and the man was declared dead at the scene shortly after.
The footage depicted the beast attacking and clawing the victim as he sat within the enclosure, though it did not show the fatal moment. Trump subsequently followed this with another post containing a video compilation that seemed to feature various other individuals being savaged by lions, set to an upbeat musical track.
A health and safety probe has been initiated following the incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, where a man identified in reports as William Chapman lost his life after entering the tiger enclosure on Saturday. The attraction will stay shut on Wednesday for a fifth consecutive day after the attack.
