Man dies after entering tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England

A man died on Saturday, 10 October, after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in northern England, where he was attacked by a tiger, South Yorkshire Police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not named him.

What police said

According to Al Jazeera, officers and emergency medical staff were called at about 1:35pm local time (12:35 GMT, or about 6:05pm IST) after reports that a man had entered the enclosure. ITV News reported that police said the tiger “subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.”

It is not yet clear how the man got into the enclosure, Al Jazeera reported. Police said: “The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers.”

• Police said the tiger was not injured and remained inside the enclosure.
• Police said there was no wider risk to the public.
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service said two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended, ITV News reported.
• Officers remained at the scene on Saturday night.

Park response and closure

The park said it could confirm that a serious incident had occurred at the tiger enclosure. It said: “We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened.” It added that the safety and wellbeing of visitors, staff and animals remain its highest priority.

The park was evacuated and closed on Saturday. It was due to stay closed on Sunday, 11 October.

Footage online

Police said they were aware of videos circulating on social media that appear to show the man in the enclosure shortly before the attack, and urged the public not to share them.

What is not yet known

The sources reviewed do not describe a formal investigation or give a cause. Police and the park have said only that they are working to establish exactly what happened. Further details had not been released at the time of writing.

About the park

Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009. Its Land of the Tigers attraction opened in 2011 and is a reserve of about two acres (0.4 hectares) for Amur, or Siberian, tigers, an endangered subspecies. A 300-metre raised walkway lets visitors watch the animals, Al Jazeera reported. ITV News put the number of Amur tigers left in the wild at around 500.

Sources: Al Jazeera, ITV News.