Police confirm man has died after entering tiger enclosure at zoo as new details released
A man has died after a tiger attacked him at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England on Saturday, October 10.
South Yorkshire Police said in a statement that officers received reports at 1:35 p.m. of a man entering the tiger enclosure at the park.
The tiger then attacked him, leaving him seriously injured, the force said.
Emergency services attended, but police confirmed the man was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of medical personnel.
Advert
They added: "The man's family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.
"Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public."
Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries.
His family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers. “Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time,” the force said.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it responded to a call just after 1:30 p.m. “We sent a number of resources, including two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor,” a spokesperson said.
What happened at Yorkshire Wildlife Park?
The park describes itself as a ‘walk-through wildlife adventure’ and is home to lions, giraffes, tigers, leopards and black rhinos.
Its website says a 300-meter-long raised walkway runs through the ‘Land of the Tigers’ section.
Earlier in the afternoon, the park confirmed a ‘serious incident’ had taken place at the tiger enclosure.
“Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene,” they said.
“We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened,” the park added. “The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority.”
Police said the park was evacuated and officers remain at the scene carrying out inquiries. The park is closed and will stay closed on Sunday.
Alice, who was at the park at the time, told LADBIBLE the situation was ‘very sudden’, with ‘a member of staff running around telling people to evacuate but wouldn’t say anything about why’.
“It felt chaotic,” she added.
She said visitors were made to walk the length of the park to leave, passing near the tiger enclosure, where they could see emergency services from afar but could not make out any casualties. “I was with friends and their young children. Thankful we weren’t in the area at the time,” she added.
Was the tiger injured after the incident?
Visitors also heard conflicting explanations of what had happened inside the enclosure. “Some saying the tigers were shot, others saying it was gas canisters to spook them into their enclosures,” Alice said.
Addressing the rumors surrounding the condition of the tiger, police said the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident. They added there is no wider risk to the public.
Police said they are aware of videos circulating online and encouraged people not to share the footage.
Thomas Bamford