A man has died following a tiger attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park after reportedly jumping into the animal's enclosure. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 10, and led to the park being evacuated and closed for the day.
The man, who has not been named, was fatally mauled by Altai, a Siberian (Amur) tiger. According to witnesses, the man asked a bystander to photograph him with the tiger just moments before he climbed over a barrier and entered the enclosure.
Witness describes final moments
Del Taylor, a visitor at the park, was standing on the viewing platform when the man approached her. She recalled: "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?" Taylor used the man's phone while he posed with the tiger visible in the background. Video footage captured by her partner shows the man laughing as he called for "one more, one more, one more" before saying, "Thank you, lady."
Taylor told The Sun: "He was completely alone. At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me. My partner was recording the tiger and you can hear me having this interaction. You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure. I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him."
Attempt to stop the man fails
Another visitor reportedly attempted to pull the victim back onto the viewing bridge, but he "pulled away from her" and entered the enclosure. The witness stated that the woman "wasn't strong enough" to restrain the man, and as a result he "pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft" into the pen, according to Yorkshire Live.
The witness added that the man then "knelt in front of the tiger" and began yelling at it and waving his finger, shouting "No". The tiger then grabbed him by the neck. "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," the witness recounted.
Park response and tiger's safety
Prior to climbing over the barrier, the man had been dancing while using his mobile phone and wearing Apple AirPods. Park rangers discharged warning shots and "did everything they could" to prevent the tragedy, according to the park. They used gas-powered acoustic guns to startle Altai, causing him to withdraw to a nearby shelter. The big cat was quickly contained, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park issued a statement: "We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday's] tragic incident. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life. The park will be closed while the staff team who were deeply affected by events receive specialist support. 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."
