A woman who lives near Yorkshire Wildlife Park, where a man was killed by a tiger, has spoken out against online trolls and raised concerns that people ‘seemed to care more about the tiger’
A woman living close to the wildlife park where a man was fatally attacked by a tiger has slammed sick trolls who have said the mauling victim “deserved to die”, adding people “seemed to care more about the tiger”.
Angela Seivewright visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park to leave flowers at the entrance, which remained shut on Monday following the tragic weekend incident.
She revealed she had previously witnessed adults with learning difficulties at the park accompanied by carers who appeared “a bit distracted” and felt “sad” about much of the public response to the man’s death. She also suggested the man may have had special needs.
Ms Seivewright said: “I believe that the person who was killed had additional needs. And, when I looked at social media over the weekend, when I said I hoped the person was OK, I got really bullied a lot – saying that he deserved to die.
“I have a special needs child and I think he was doing sign language to the tiger. So, it just felt it was really unfair that people were almost wishing him to die as opposed to not wanting anybody to be hurt.
“So it was really upsetting. My daughter goes to school next door and we live around the corner. And I just thought there would be way more flowers here.”
Ms Seivewright revealed she held a season pass for the park, but added: “I don’t know if I would support them again. I just don’t know if they took every opportunity to save him, his life, as opposed to maybe doing something to the tiger.
“I think it’s a bit of an indictment on the community in terms that people seem to care more about the tiger. It just feels a bit sad that his death is not mourned more.”
Ms Seivewright stated: “It just seems that making additional needs a priority – it’s a bit of a tick-box exercise. What mitigations did they have in place if they saw somebody with additional needs on his own near a dangerous animal?”.
“Without wishing things bad on the tiger, in my mind, a human is a sentient being. I love cats. I’ve got five of them. And I love animals. But I would have thought people would have been more compassionate with somebody dying in such an awful way who lacks capacity and who is vulnerable.”
The Doncaster attraction was shut on Monday as inquiries into the man’s death, who was mauled by a tiger after entering its enclosure on Saturday, continue. South Yorkshire Police will not be identifying the man at the request of his family, according to the Press Association.
Councillor Steve Cox, representing the Finningley ward which includes the wildlife park, told the Press Association: “I really feel for the staff, they’ve got protocols they have to go through. It’s really sad, but I’m sure everybody did what they could.”
Emergency services were alerted shortly after 1.30pm on October 10 when the man gained access to the enclosure. He was declared dead at the scene, South Yorkshire Police confirmed, stating that his relatives have been notified.
It was anticipated the wildlife park would resume operations on Monday after being evacuated following the tragedy and staying shut on Sunday. However, in a message dispatched to ticket holders on Monday morning, the park announced: “Due to the serious incident that occurred at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday, the 10th of October, unfortunately the park remains closed for the whole of Monday, the 12th October.
“Anyone with a booking for this date will be contacted within the next five working days with details of how to reschedule your booking. We apologise for the late notice and any inconvenience caused.”
In an earlier statement on social media, the wildlife park revealed “many, many people” had reached out regarding Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the tragedy, and it assured he is “safe and well” and will not be put down. It noted that park employees were “deeply affected” by the incident and are receiving specialist support.
Footage circulating online appears to show a man being clawed at and wrestled by Altai in the tiger enclosure at the park. In another clip, the voice of the yet-to-be-identified man can be heard requesting people to snap a photo of him with the tiger prior to the incident.
South Yorkshire Police have confirmed they are aware of the footage of the attack circulating online and have urged the public not to share it. Yorkshire Wildlife Park first opened its doors in 2009, with the Land of the Tigers exhibit launching in 2011.
The exhibit is a specially designed two-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with only around 500 remaining in the wild. Images of the enclosure on the park’s website reveal a lofty walkway for visitors, with fencing situated above the area where the tigers are free to roam.
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