Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Victim, wearing headphones, was seen pacing and dancing before entering the enclosure; he was heard shouting "No!" and pointing at the animal during the attack
Victim, wearing headphones, was seen pacing and dancing before entering the enclosure; he was heard shouting "No!" and pointing at the animal during the attack
Victim, wearing headphones, was seen pacing and dancing before entering the enclosure; he was heard shouting "No!" and pointing at the animal during the attack
A man in his twenties died after climbing from a raised visitor walkway into the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday afternoon, South Yorkshire Police have confirmed. Emergency services were called at approximately 1.35pm after reports that the man had entered the enclosure housing Amur tigers. Despite the attendance of two ambulances, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor, he was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers. He has not been publicly named.
Witnesses described the man wearing AirPods or headphones and pacing near the enclosure before climbing over barriers. One visitor said he appeared to be dancing to music and had asked a stranger to take a photograph of him with a tiger in the background shortly beforehand. Video footage and eyewitness accounts circulating online show the man on the grass inside the enclosure with the Amur tiger Altai. During the encounter he was heard repeatedly shouting "No!" and "Stop!" while raising a finger toward the animal.
Park staff activated emergency procedures. Visitors reported hearing shots, which police and the park have indicated were fired to encourage the tiger to retreat so the enclosure could be secured. Altai, who arrived at the park from a zoo in Norway in early 2025 as part of a European breeding programme for the endangered subspecies, was uninjured and remained in the enclosure. The park has confirmed he will not be euthanised. Yorkshire Wildlife Park remains closed while staff receive support, and there is no wider risk to the public, according to police. Investigations into the circumstances of the incident are continuing.
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