Yorkshire Wildlife Park remains closed after a man was fatally attacked by a tiger when he climbed into its enclosure.
Emergency services were called to the site near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, shortly after 13:30 BST on Saturday following reports that a man had descended into the enclosure from a visitor walkway. South Yorkshire Police said the man died at the scene.
Park management confirmed the site would stay shut for the remainder of the weekend.
An eyewitness, Ella Ford, said she saw the man “pacing around with his headphones in” beside the tiger enclosure before he moved.
Ford, 24, from Moreton, Wirral, had been visiting the park with her boyfriend and had filmed the tiger moments before the attack. She said the man later “climbed up onto the barriers”, and that a woman stood nearby speaking to him. “He jumped in and crawled in front of the tiger, where the tiger was perched and just lay there,” she said.
She described the tiger seizing hold of the man, who she said was “shouting for help”. Around 15 to 20 people were on the raised visitor walkway at the time, she estimated, before staff cleared the area and then the wider park. Members of the public were “confused, like what on earth’s going on?”, she added. She said one person tried banging on the fence to deter the tiger, but “it obviously wasn’t doing anything”.
A second visitor, Karmelle Pelham, 39, from Worksop, said she had been enjoying a family day out when staff told them the site was being evacuated. She reported hearing what sounded like “gunshots” and seeing an air ambulance circling overhead, and said a “big, black tarpaulin” was later placed over the tiger enclosure. Pelham praised the park’s staff, calling the response “very, very well organised”.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said in a statement earlier on Saturday that its emergency response procedures had been “immediately activated” and that it was “working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened”.
A park spokesperson said their “thoughts and heartfelt sympathies” remained with the man’s family. They confirmed the Amur tiger named Altai had remained in the enclosure and would not be euthanised as a result of the incident. Staff who were at the scene and who were “deeply affected by events” would receive specialist support, the spokesperson added.
South Yorkshire Police said the man’s family were being supported by officers. “Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time,” the force said, adding: “We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this footage.”
Foreign Secretary and MP for Doncaster North Ed Miliband said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the incident and sent his “thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died”. He added that he was “very grateful to the emergency services and staff of the park who responded”.
Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, said in a statement shared on social media that he was “deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident”. He said support was being made available for those who needed it, and offered his “heartfelt thanks” to the emergency services for their “speed and professionalism”.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with its Land of the Tigers area following in 2011. The purpose-built, two-acre reserve houses Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with roughly 500 remaining in the wild. Photos of the enclosure on the park’s website show a high visitor walkway and fencing above the section where the tigers roam.
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