A man – named as William Chapman – was pronounced dead after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster on Saturday
The zoo where a man was fatally mauled by a tiger is offering customers the chance to adopt one of their big cats for £75. Emergency services were alerted to Yorkshire Wildlife Park just after 1.30pm on Saturday (October 10) after the victim – name as William Chapman – entered the tiger enclosure and was fatally attacked.
Video clips circulating online from the incident show the man being clawed and seized by the tiger, named Altai. He was declared dead at the scene, with South Yorkshire Police confirming his relatives have been notified.
However Yorkshire Wildlife Park is still plugging its ‘Adoption Box’ packages – which includes a certificate, photo and entry vouchers – with pictures of their Amur tigers.
Customers can select which breed of animal they want to sponsor on the zoo’s website, which reads: “Adoption Box Includes: Photograph of you, Adoption Certificate, Animal Fact File Card, 2x Adult Park Admission Vouchers (Valid for 6 months).
“20% of your Animal Adoption purchase goes towards the WildLife Foundation and helps fund incredible conservation projects around the world! The choice of adopted animal is made during the checkout process.”
A standard adoption box is priced at £75. A tiger adoption box with cuddly toy is priced at £82.
Visitors are unable to specify which of the two Amur tigers at the park they want to “adopt” before purchasing. There are believed to be two tigers at the park – Tschuna, a female tigress who has been a resident at the park since 2013 – and Altai, the tiger responsible for Saturday’s fatal attack.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park declined to comment when approached by the Daily Star. The circumstances surrounding the tragedy are still under investigation by both police and City of Doncaster council.
The victim has been identified as William Chapman. Pictures on his social media account reveal him holding a bible and a crossbow in what look to be the same clothes he had on when he entered the tiger enclosure. The photo, which was uploaded on the day of the horror death, shows him holding a crossbow bolt between his teeth.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park remained closed as of today (Tuesday). Doncaster Council, the council responsible for licensing the Doncaster wildlife park, said it has launched a health and safety investigation into Saturday’s incident.