Families watched in horror as a man was mauled to death by a 30-stone Siberian tiger after he climbed into its enclosure at a wildlife park.
One witness said the ‘agitated’ intruder was ‘grabbed by the throat’ within seconds of scaling a fence at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Videos posted online show the tiger, called Altai, circling him on the grass before shaking him like a ragdoll. The man, thought to be in his 20s, was heard crying ‘no, no’ during the attack.
Before the tiger struck, the victim – who had not been named on Saturday night – is seen kneeling on the ground with his arms out wide.
He was also seen pointing his finger at the animal, repeatedly screaming ‘stop’. Meanwhile, visitors started shouting in a desperate a bid to distract the tiger.
On the footage, a woman’s voice can be heard saying: ‘I tried to stop him.’ Zoo keepers raced to the scene armed with gas-powered acoustic guns, firing five loud, shotgun-like blasts close to the predator in an attempt to drive it off.
A witness told The Mail on Sunday the man, who had a mobile phone and was wearing AirPods, appeared to ‘psyche himself up’ by performing a ‘dance’ in the spectator area before climbing the fence.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service sent two road ambulances plus an air ambulance. Paramedics with blood transfusion kits were seen desperately trying to save the victim, but South Yorkshire Police later confirmed he had died from his injuries.
Altai, the male tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, is pictured. Reports suggest he was the tiger involved in the incident
Visitors were evacuated by staff before the park was closed for the remainder of the day
The scene at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday after a tiger mauled a man who entered its enclosure
Keepers were later seen wrapping black plastic sheeting around a section of the enclosure to shield it from view.
Police said they received reports at 1.35pm of a man entering the enclosure. A statement said: ‘The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.
‘Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.’
Officers urged people not to share footage of the attack.
The tiger was uninjured and remained in its enclosure, the force added, saying there was no wider risk to the public.
The park, near Doncaster, said it was working closely with the authorities to establish exactly what happened.
The attraction was evacuated after the attack and will remain shut today. One witness praised staff for remaining calm during the incident.
Altai arrived at the park in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born.
Altai arrived at the park in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born
Police officers at the scene of the park on Saturday
An air ambulance and police van are seen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon
A Yorkshire Wildlife Park spokesman said on Saturday night: ‘We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure.
‘Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated and emergency services attended the scene.
‘We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened. The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority. The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.’
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land Of The Tigers area opening in 2011.
It is a purpose-built two-acre reserve for Siberian tigers, an endangered species with around 500 left in the wild. Photos show a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.
The attack comes only four months after a three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile pit by a man in Cambridgeshire.
