He entered the tiger enclosure and was attacked by one of the animals, until he died. Tragedy at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, a wildlife park near Doncaster, in the north of England, where a man lost his life on the afternoon of Saturday 10 October. Two ambulances, a Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopter and a doctor attended the scene. Despite resuscitation attempts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
How did the man get into the tiger enclosure?
The alarm was raised at around 1.35pm local time, when South Yorkshire Police received a report of the presence of a person inside the area reserved for tigers. The animal attacked him, causing him very serious injuries. It is not clear how we managed to enter the area reserved for animals.
Images of the incident began circulating on social networks shortly after the accident. Some videos appear to show the man being attacked by the tiger. The victim’s family has been informed and is receiving assistance from specialist officers. The man’s name and age have not been made public at this time.
The park evacuated, what happened to the tiger
The attack resulted in the immediate activation of emergency procedures at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with the subsequent evacuation of visitors. The police stated that the tiger was not injured and never left its enclosure. There would therefore be no further danger to the public.
“The animal was not injured and remained within the enclosure following the incident. There is no wider risk to the public,” South Yorkshire Police said. The park management announced the closure of the structure also for Sunday 11 October, explaining that it is collaborating with the authorities to reconstruct what happened.
“Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated,” Yorkshire Wildlife Park said, reiterating that “the safety and welfare of visitors, staff and animals remains our highest priority.”