A man died after climbing into a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Saturday afternoon. Emergency services were called at about 13:30 BST after reports that the man had descended into the enclosure from a visitor walkway. Police confirmed he died at the scene.
Eyewitness Ella Ford, 24, from Moreton, Wirral, described seeing the man "pacing around with his headphones in" near the enclosure before he climbed onto barriers and entered the tiger's space. She said the man then "crawled in front of the tiger, where the tiger was perched and just lay there" before the animal attacked him. Ford heard the man "shouting for help" and estimated around 15 to 20 visitors were on the raised walkway when staff evacuated the area.
The tiger involved, an Amur tiger named Altai, remained in the enclosure. A park spokesperson confirmed the animal would not be euthanised and said Altai was "safe and well". The spokesperson added that staff present during the incident were "deeply affected by events" and would receive specialist support.
The park remained closed for the remainder of the weekend. Floral tributes were left at its entrance. South Yorkshire Police asked the public not to share videos circulating online of the attack.
Karmelle Pelham, 39, from Worksop, was visiting with her family when staff announced the evacuation. She described hearing sounds like "gunshots" and said park staff handled the situation in a "very, very well organised" manner.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is MP for Doncaster North, said he was "deeply saddened" by the incident and offered his "thoughts and deepest condolences to the family". Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, expressed gratitude to emergency services.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009. Its Land of the Tigers reserve, a two-acre purpose-built habitat, opened in 2011 and houses Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with approximately 500 remaining in the wild.