A man died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday afternoon. Emergency services attended the scene shortly after 1.30pm after the unnamed victim reportedly climbed into a compound housing two endangered Amur tigers. He sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. South Yorkshire Police said the man's family have been informed.
Police stated the animal remained uninjured in the enclosure following the incident and posed no wider risk to the public. The park was evacuated and closed for the remainder of the weekend.
Videos circulating online appeared to show a man being attacked by a tiger in the enclosure. Police said they were aware of the footage and asked people not to share it.
Visitors reported hearing multiple gunshots during the evacuation. Park guest Tia Hanson told the Sheffield Star that the walkway between the tiger enclosure and exit was closed at around 2pm. "It looks as if someone has jumped into the enclosure," she said. Another visitor, Becky from Doncaster, told The Mirror she heard four gunshots before park staff ordered an evacuation.
Visitor Karmelle Pelham from Worksop told the BBC she was at the lemur enclosure when the zoo was evacuated. Staff ushered visitors "further and further into the park" before helicopters circled overhead. She commended staff for evacuating visitors safely without causing panic.
A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said two land ambulances, a Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended the scene.
A park spokesperson told The Independent that emergency response procedures were activated immediately. "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."
Yorkshire Wildlife Park houses two Amur tigers on a purpose-built two-acre reserve. The park has a 17-stone tigress named Tschuna, who arrived in 2013, and a younger male called Altai, who arrived last year. Amur tigers are an endangered subspecies with approximately 500 remaining in the wild.
Ed Miliband, Foreign Secretary and Doncaster North MP, expressed condolences on Facebook. Doncaster mayor Ros Jones said he was "deeply saddened" by the incident.