Man’s final moments in tiger enclosure as guests ‘not sturdy sufficient’ to cease him
The man asked for a photograph ahead of climbing into the enclosure before the attack
Altai the tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park(Image: Yorkshire Wildlife Park / SWNS)
The man who was fatally mauled by a tiger in Yorkshire asked someone to take his picture just moments before he climbed into the animal’s enclosure. Del Taylor was positioned on the viewing platform at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday (October 10) when the unidentified person approached her.
She recalled that he said to her: “Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?” Del then took the man’s mobile while he posed with the Siberian tiger clearly visible in the background. Footage captured by her partner shows the man chuckling as he said “one more, one more, one more”.
He then added: “Thank you, lady.”
Yorkshire Wildlife Park which was evacuated and closed due to the emergency incident(Image: Charley Atkins / SWNS)
The couple then walked away, and moments later, the man climbed over the fence and went into the enclosure. Del told The Sun: “He was completely alone. At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me. My partner was recording the tiger and you can hear me having this interaction. You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure. I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him.”
Another park visitor reportedly tried to drag the victim back onto the viewing bridge, but he “pulled away from her” and entered the enclosure, according to a separate witness. They said the woman “wasn’t strong enough” to hold back the unnamed man, and as a result he “pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft” into the pen, reports Yorkshire Live.
He then “knelt in front of the tiger”, they added.
The witness recalled: “But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling, ‘No’, and the tiger grabbed him by the neck. It all happened very fast. The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man.”
The man had been dancing while using his mobile phone and wearing Apple AirPods before scaling the barrier. Onlookers stated he snapped a photograph with Altai the Amur tiger visible behind him just moments before leaping from an observation platform.
Park rangers, who fired warning shots and “did everything they could” to prevent the tragedy, have been offered “specialist support”. Staff managed to frighten Altai by firing gas-powered acoustic devices into the air, causing him to flee to a nearby enclosure.
The big cat was quickly contained, though the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park issued a statement: “We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday’s] tragic incident.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life. The park will be closed 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.”
