Man Mauled to Death by Tiger After Climbing Into Enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2026

A man was mauled to death by a Siberian tiger on Saturday after climbing into the animal's enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster, England, in front of horrified visitors. South Yorkshire Police said officers were called to the park at about 1:35 p.m. after reports that a man had entered the tiger enclosure, and that he was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of emergency crews, USA Today reported. The tiger, a young male named Altai, never left the enclosure and posed no wider risk to the public, police said.

What happened in the minutes before the attack has been pieced together from the visitors who watched it unfold. Ella Ford, who was visiting with her boyfriend, told the BBC she saw the man pacing around with his headphones in before he climbed up onto the barriers and, in her words, jumped in and crawled in front of the tiger. Other visitors told People that the man had been dancing near the exhibit and had asked a total stranger to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background. Witnesses said a woman desperately tried to pull him back as he went over the barrier, but he broke free and dropped as far as 15 feet down to the floor of the enclosure.

01 Staff fired deterrents as the park was evacuated

According to The Times, park staff fired shots from acoustic weapons to drive the tiger away from the man while emergency services rushed in, and the incident was over within minutes. A black screen was put up around the enclosure, visitors were ushered out, and the park closed for the rest of the weekend. On Monday, new witness accounts published by the New York Post described the man appearing to pray and bow toward the tiger after he landed inside the enclosure, and South Yorkshire Police confirmed to LADbible that he is believed to have been visiting the park alone. CBS News reported that the tiger exhibit remains closed days after the attack.

Police said the man's family has been notified and is being supported by specialist officers. He has not been publicly identified. Investigators also acknowledged that video of the attack is circulating online and asked the public not to share the distressing footage.

02 The tiger will not be put down

By Sunday, so many people had contacted the park about the tiger's fate that Yorkshire Wildlife Park addressed it directly: Altai, it said, is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of the incident. Altai is one of two Siberian tigers at the park, brought in to mate with a female named Tschuna. The park said its staff who responded were deeply affected and are receiving specialist support, and that its emergency procedures were activated immediately while it works with authorities to establish exactly what happened.

The attack happened in the Land of the Tigers, a two-acre reserve that opened in 2011 and is viewed from a 300-meter raised walkway, at a park that has operated since 2009 and is one of the region's biggest attractions. Ed Miliband, the MP for Doncaster North, said he was deeply saddened by the incident and thanked the emergency services and park staff who responded. The park stayed closed through Monday while investigations continued, and police have not said when it will reopen.

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