Yorkshire Wildlife Park live: Man dies after 'jumping into enclosure' to 'play with tiger'

Yorkshire Wildlife Park live: Man dies after 'jumping into enclosure' to 'play with tiger' Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed there had been a "serious incident" at the tiger enclosure, adding that an emergency response was underway and the site would be closed today and tomorrow A man has died after being attacked by a tiger at a wildlife park. Police and paramedics raced to Yorkshire Wildlife Park at about 1.35pm, following reports a man had "jumped into a tiger enclosure". South Yorkshire Police said the man had suffered "serious injuries", while the tiger was uninjured and remained inside the enclosure following the attack. Police later confirmed the man had died. Witnesses told how a black screen was erected at the enclosure, with reports of "shots fired" shortly before the park was evacuated and an air ambulance arrived. Footage emerged online showing a man lying on the grass in the tiger's enclosure, before being attacked. Key Events Recap - What we know after man dies in tiger enclosure Good morning and welcome to the blog if you are just joining us. Here's what you've missed: - A man has died after entering an enclosure housing two tigers at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster. - South Yorkshire Police were called to the park shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday, October 10, following reports that a man had entered the enclosure. - The man suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been informed, but police have not publicly identified him. What happened? - Police believe the man climbed into the enclosure housing the tigers. The circumstances surrounding why he entered the enclosure have not been confirmed. - Eyewitnesses said the man had been dancing happily with his AirPods in around 20 minutes before the incident. Other witnesses reportedly believed he wanted to play with the tigers, although this has not been confirmed by police. - Footage filmed shortly before the incident also appears to capture the man asking a couple to take a photograph of him with the tigers. What happened to the tigers? South Yorkshire Police said the tiger involved was uninjured and remained in its enclosure following the incident. Officers also confirmed there was no wider risk to the public. Is Yorkshire Wildlife Park open? The park was evacuated following the incident and confirmed it would remain closed for the rest of the weekend, including Sunday. The attraction said its emergency response procedures had been activated and that it was working with the authorities to establish what happened. What we know about the man who died The man suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been informed. Police have not publicly identified the man, and details about his age, identity and why he entered the enclosure have not been confirmed yet. There will likely be more details released today. Authorities have also urged members of the public not to share footage of the incident online. Footage captures man's question to couple Video footage circulating online appears to capture the moment a man asks onlookers to take a photo of him with the tiger in what could be the last known recording of the victim. In it, a man approaches a couple and asks: "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?" The footage is focused on the tiger in the enclosure, and we do not see the identity of the man. A woman agrees to help, before he can be heard asking her for "one more". He thanks her for the help before the footage cuts. Latest pictures from the scene Police remain on the scene after fatal tiger attack South Yorkshire Police said officers remained at Yorkshire Wildlife Park following the incident as enquiries continued. The force confirmed the man's family had been informed and was being supported by specialist officers. Police have not publicly identified the man. No further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident have been confirmed. What is the Land of the Tigers attraction? Land of the Tigers is a purpose-built, two-acre reserve at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, which opened in 2011. The attraction is home to endangered Amur tigers, one of the world's largest tiger subspecies, native to the Russian Far East and parts of north-east Asia. The reserve was designed to provide the animals with a naturalistic environment, with visitors able to observe them from a raised walkway. Two Amur tigers were identified as living at the park in reports following Saturday's fatal incident: Tschuna, a tigress who arrived in 2013, and Altai, a younger male who arrived last year. South Yorkshire Police said the tiger involved in the incident was uninjured and remained in its enclosure. The force also confirmed there was no wider risk to the public. Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which first opened in 2009, said it had activated its emergency response procedures following the incident and was working with the authorities to establish what happened. Local leaders issue condolences Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband said he was deeply saddened by the incident and offered his condolences to the man's family. Doncaster mayor Ros Jones also expressed her sadness and sent her thoughts to those affected. Police issue warning over footage circulating Videos circulating online appear to show a man being pawed at and grappled by a tiger in an enclosure at the park. Police said they were aware of the footage and have asked people not to share it. Park shut tomorrow Yorkshire Wildlife Park has confirmed it will remain closed on Sunday, October 11. They added: said: "We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure. Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending 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." Man was 'dancing happily with AirPods in' shortly before being mauled to death The man who was mauled to death by a tiger was "dancing happily with his AirPods in" before jumping down a fence "to play" with the endangered mammal, one witness said. "Twenty minutes before today's tragic incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park this tiger was sat enjoying the sunshine," the woman said. "The man who I saw on the bridge with his AirPods in dancing was happily enjoying seeing the tiger." The visitor said the man appeared to be alone as he had asked a stranger to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background, which was "probably the last photo on his phone," reports Yorkshire Live. "I'm not sure if he was with a carer or family member but I honestly do think he just wanted to play with the tiger," the witness said. "Tragic for his family. Tragic for the staff who were brilliant but in shock. Thankfully the tiger survived. Thankfully we didn't see him jump." How hero zookeepers ended tiger's fatal attack on man who 'jumped into enclosure' Horrified families screamed in terror as a man was mauled to death in a zoo's tiger enclosure today. Disturbing footage posted online appeared to show the victim standing inside the enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster while pointing at a tiger. He was seen being bitten and shoved around by the big cat while crying out "no, no" and "back", as visitors desperately shouted from a viewing gantry in a bid to distract the animal. One male onlooker was heard exclaiming "Jesus Christ", while a woman was heard saying: "I tried to stop him". She was also heard telling a fellow witness: "Don't look," as the horror continued. Hero keepers later managed to scare the animal away by firing several gunshots into the air, causing it to flee to a nearby hide. It was left uninjured. Read more: How hero zookeepers ended tiger's fatal attack on man Two shots fired to 'scare tiger away' According to witnesses, two warning shots were fired by rangers from a shotgun to scare the tiger away. South Yorkshire Police said the tiger was uninjured and remained inside the enclosure following the attack. Ed Miliband 'deeply saddened' by man's death Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says he is "deeply saddened" to hear of the incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The statement, posted to his official Facebook page, adds: I send my thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died. I am very grateful to the emergency services and staff of the park who responded. 'There was a lot of blood' - children among witnesses of fatal tiger attack A woman who was visiting the park with her husband and two children, aged six and three, described seeing blood where the tiger had dragged the man as visitors shouted in a bid to distract the animal. "You could see the blood where the tiger had dragged the man. Someone who saw it said it had him by the neck," midwife Amy Wright, 36, told The Sun. "There was a lot of blood. People were shouting to try and distract it." Amy, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said she then heard two gun shots, fired one after the other in quick succession. She added: We headed for the exit but to get there you have to pass the tigers' enclosure. There were three police officers at the enclosure entrance. They were standing close to three female keepers sitting on the floor. One had her head in her hands. 'Lots of people looked really upset' A witness at the park said visitors appeared visibly upset as the incident was unfolding. A stretcher was also seen inside the enclosure after emergency services arrived, the witness told The Star. "There were loads of police and ambulance people and a stretcher in the enclosure as well," the visitor said. "It wasn't nice - there were lots of people who looked really upset." Enclosure is home to two endangered Amur tigers The enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park is home to two Amur tigers - an endangered subspecies with around only 500 left in the wild. The animals, native to far-east Russia, northeast China, and parts of the Korean Peninsula, are the largest big cat in the world. One of the tigers, named Altai, arrived at the park from Norway in 2025. The male tiger joined Tschuna, a 17-stone female who came to the park in 2013 as part of an international breeding programme aimed at safeguarding the species. Tschuna had three cubs in 2015. They were all subsequently relocated to other wildlife parks around the world to support the programme. Male Amur tigers can weigh up to 300kg or more, while females typically weigh between 110 to 160kg. Doncaster mayor 'deeply saddened' over 'tragic incident' Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones said in a statement she was "deeply saddened to hear of the tragic incident that has taken place today at Yorkshire Wildlife Park". She added: "My thoughts and prayers are with all those involved at this immensely difficult time." 'I tried to stop him,' witness says The victim was heard crying out "no, no" and "back" while being attacked by the tiger. One male onlooker was heard exclaiming "Jesus Christ", while a woman was heard saying "I tried to stop him". She was also heard telling a fellow witness, "Don't look," as the horror continued. 'We were evacuated from the zoo and saw staff crying', mum tells Mirror Becky, from Doncaster, was at the zoo with her children and had only left the tiger enclosure moments earlier when her family were suddenly evacuated by staff. Zookeepers appeared visibly upset at what had happened. The mum told the Mirror: "We were at the tiger enclosure 10 minutes before the incident happened. "We heard four gun shots, but didn't think anything of it until we heard the air ambulance trying to land and then one of the park staff approached us and told us we had to leave the park. "They had a black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure as we walked past, and the staff were all upset and crying." Park to stay closed all weekend Yorkshire Wildlife Park says it is "working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened" and will remain closed all weekend. In a statement released earlier, it said: We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure. Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending 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. 'It felt chaotic' A woman who was at the park described scenes of chaos as visitors were urged to evacuate after the man was injured. "People near us were saying how they'd been near the tiger enclosure when they'd seen a young man climbing the fence [...] where he had provoked the tigers which then retaliated," the woman, named only as Alice, told LADbible. She said the reaction was "sudden," with one member of staff running around and telling people to leave, but not explaining why. Alice added: Some saying the tigers were shot, others saying it was gas canisters to spook them into their enclosures [...] I was with friends and their young children. Thankful we weren't in the area at the time. How man entered enclosure remains unclear The circumstances behind the fatal incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park remain unclear, including how the man came to be inside the enclosure. Police said medics attended the man, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been made aware and are being supported by specialist officers. Yorkshire Wildlife Park's 'Land of the Tigers' habitat The tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2011. Dubbed the 'Land of the Tigers', the area allows the big cats to roam woodlands and grasslands or play in a waterfall pool, according to a description on its website. Visitors can see the animals by walking along a 300 meter-long raised walkway. The park has two Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild. It's also home to a number of other wild animals, including lions, leopards, cheetahs and polar bears. Police urge public not to share distressing footage of incident South Yorkshire Police says it is aware of videos of the incident circulating online and "would encourage people not to share this footage". Officers are continuing to carry out enquiries at the scene this evening. Tiger uninjured, police say The tiger was uninjured and remained inside the enclosure following the incident, South Yorkshire Police say. A spokesperson said: Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public. Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries. Man dies after being attacked by tiger The man who was mauled by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park has died, South Yorkshire Police said. A statement reads: At 1.35pm today (Saturday 10 October) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. 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. 'There was big black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure,' says visitor A visitor at the park noticed a "big black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure" as she was asked to leave by staff. Karmelle Pelham, 39, from Worksop, was out with family when she heard what she believed was several gunshots before a helicopter appeared above them. "We were in a lemur enclosure and somebody asked us to start leaving," she told the BBC. "Then, all of a sudden, we were being ushered further and further into the park. "Then we saw a helicopter circling. That's when we started thinking, 'Oh, something's happened'. There was big black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure." Everything we know so far A man has suffered serious injuries after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, where he was attacked by one of the big cats. South Yorkshire Police said they received reports of a man entering the enclosure at 1.35pm today. The tiger has remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public. Witnesses told how a black screen was erected at the scene, with others hearing "shots fired" shortly before the park was evacuated and an air ambulance arrived. Yorkshire Wildlife Park advertises a 'Tiger Experience' which invites visitors to get to know "one of the world's most compelling and powerful mammals face to face". Images from the scene Images show a large police presence at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, where a man was attacked by a tiger inside its enclosure. The man has suffered serious injuries. Air ambulance and doctor rushed to park An air ambulance and a doctor were sent to the scene this afternoon alongside other emergency vehicles, a Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said. We were called at 13.33 on Saturday 10 October 2026 to an incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster. We sent a number of resources, including two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor.