BREAKING Man dies after being ‘mauled’ by tiger in UK zoo in ‘critical incident’
A man has died after being mauled by a tiger when he jumped into its enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park today, forcing police and staff to evacuate the site and shut it
The scene at Yorkshire Wildlife Park which has been evacuated(Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
The man who was “mauled” by a tiger after jumping into its enclosure at a Yorkshire zoo has died. After entering the tiger enclosure and sustaining serious injuries from the feline’s attack, the man passed at XZY. Yorkshire Ambulance Service were called to the wildlife park at 1.33pm today (October 10) following reports of the attack.
South Yorkshire Police said it had “received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park”, Sky News reported. “The tiger has subsequently attacked the man and this has resulted in serious injury,” they shared, adding it was trying to make contact with the man’s family.
A spokesperson said the tiger “remained in the enclosure” and there was “no wider risk to the public”. Yorkshire Wildlife Park was then evacuated and closed down for the rest of the weekend, officers and the park said.
Wildlife Park has been evacuated and closed due to the incident(Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
The park, near Doncaster, said in a statement: “Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene. We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened.”
Eyewitness accounts say “black screens” were erected around the enclosure following the event. The tiger enclosure was then evacuated and closed for the remainder of the day.
Eye witnesses say a “black screen” has been erected around the tiger enclosure(Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
A statement released by the park has confirmed a “serious incident” occurred today at the tiger enclosure. It reads: “Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene.
Dominic Ford, a witness who reportedly visited the park this afternoon with his four-year-old niece was ordered to evacuated. According to Ford, staff appeared “calm”, the Daily Mail reported.
Moreover, an air ambulance, abumlance and “a hell of a lot of police came”, came, Ford added. Armed keepers reportedly fired gas canisters to scare the feline back into its cage, which has now been masked behind a massive black privacy screen.
Video circulating on social media captures the nightmare moment a tiger strikes from behind while the victim kneels helplessly on the ground. As he screams, the tiger bites deep into his back, mauling him on the floor before standing over his battered body.
The park reportedly has two tigers, a female called Tschuna and a male called Altai. They arrived in March last year, as per the Daily Mail.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
