A health and safety investigation has been launched by Doncaster Council into the death of a man who was killed by a tiger after entering its enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster.

South Yorkshire Police will not name the victim following a request from the family. Eyewitnesses told media outlets that a woman, believed to be the man's mother, tried to pull him back as he jumped from a bridge into the tiger pen. The woman was with her two children at the time.

One witness told The Telegraph the man appeared to be in a trance-like state before the attack. "He had arms wide open ready for the tiger to attack him," she said. "The last thing we saw was the tiger's jaw on his neck."

Another eyewitness, Anthony Hunt, told Sky News he noticed the tiger's behaviour change just before the incident. "We thought maybe he's getting fed. When Scarlett was taking photos we suddenly saw in the camera lens that a guy had entered the enclosure," he said. The tiger then leapt from a landing point and began sniffing the man.

The tiger involved is named Altai, an Amur tiger, classified as an endangered species. Altai arrived at the park in March 2025 after travelling over 1,135 miles from Norwegian Zoo Dyreparken. The park confirmed Altai will not be euthanised following the incident and remains "safe and well".

Dan Swaine, Executive Director of Place at City of Doncaster Council, said: "We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred this weekend and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with everyone involved." The council is working with police and health agencies in response to the incident.

Dr Campbell Murn, a former member of the government's expert committee for zoos and lecturer at the University of Reading, said such incidents remain rare. He noted that enclosure design for dangerous wild animals follows strict regulations and staff receive regular emergency response training. "There's a lot more extensive safety systems involved with dangerous wild animals," he said.

The park remained closed on Sunday while staff received specialist support.