All we all know on Yorkshire Wildlife Park tiger assault – final phrases to ‘grabbed by neck’
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Here is everything we know about the tragic incident that unfolded at Yorkshire Wildlife Park yesterday afternoon, after a man was pronounced dead following a tiger attack
The park remains closed today while workers receive support (Image: Yorkshire Wildlife Park / SWNS)
Yesterday police and paramedics rushed to Yorkshire Wildlife Park after a man was fatally mauled by a tiger after leaping into its enclosure. Tragically the man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The harrowing ordeal took place around 1.30pm in the ‘Land of the Tigers’ section of the zoo near Doncaster in front of terrified families with children.
Today the park was closed to the public while workers received specialist support after being “deeply affected”. Officials confirmed the animal – named Altai – had not been euthanised following the incident. Here is everything we know about the gruesome event.
The scene at Yorkshire Wildlife Park yesterday (Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
Entry into the enclosure
Altai’s enclosure was surrounded by a huge five-metre-high fence, with a ‘viewing platform’ located on one of the corners. According to witnesses the man is understood to have leapt in from the platform which only had a one-metre high barrier.
A visitor said she had been observing the victim 20 minutes before the tragedy. “The man who I saw on the bridge with his EarPods in dancing was happily enjoying seeing the tiger,” she said. “I’m not sure if he was with a carer or family member but I honestly do think he just wanted to play with the tiger.”
The tragic incident unfolded in front of shocked families (Image: PA)
Mauling
Onlookers can be heard crying out in a bid to distract the animal, with one guest bellowing “hey” in a frantic attempt to pull its focus away from the casualty.
Midwife Amy Wright, 36, was at the park with her husband and two children, aged six and three, when the horror incident occurred. She told The Sun: “Someone who saw it said it had him by the neck. There was a lot of blood. People were shouting to try and distract it. We heard the gunshots.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene (Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
“There were two, one after the other in quick succession. We headed for the exit but to get there you have to pass the tigers’ enclosure.”
South Yorkshire Police confirmed they were aware of clips of the attack being shared online and appealed to the public not to distribute them.
One person who did not want to be identified said: “We heard what sounded like gunshots but that’s it. Then everyone was evacuated and the police and air ambulance were here in a flash. It’s been empty since.”
Last words
Harrowing footage on social media appears to capture the tiger wrestling with the man as he frantically screams “no” and “stop” throughout the ordeal at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Witnesses heard the man screaming ‘stop’ and ‘no’ repeatedly (Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)
In the footage he is heard yelling: “Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” He was also heard crying out: “No, no, no!”
At one point the man sits opposite the beast wagging his finger at the tiger before it grabs him by the neck and pulls him away. One petrified visitor at the wildlife park said “you could see blood” and the tiger “dragging the man” by the neck.
Another male onlooker was heard crying “Jesus Christ”, while a woman could be heard saying: “I tried to stop him”.
Tiger not euthanised
Altai was uninjured following the incident and retreated to its enclosure, officials said.
In a statement released today Yorkshire Wildlife Park issued an update on the animal’s future. “We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident,” they wrote. “Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who sadly lost his life.
The tiger involved in yesterday’s incident is called Altai(Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
“The park will be closed today while the staff team who were deeply affected by events receive specialist support. Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”
Amur tiger involved
The tiger involved in yesterday’s incident is called Altai. Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land of the Tigers attraction opening in 2011.
The attraction is on a purpose-built two-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.
When Altai arrived at the park in March 2025, Director of Animals Charlotte MacDonald said: “We are delighted with Altai. He is a beautiful, huge cat and very calm and receptive, his keepers at Dyreparken have clearly done a great job with him.
“It will take him a while to settle in at the Park as it is a big change for him but hopefully he will be out in the Land of the Tiger in the coming weeks.”
