The man mauled to death by a tiger at a zoo resisted attempts to pull him to safety, a witness has claimed.
A visitor at Yorkshire Wildlife Park said a woman tried to haul the unnamed victim back onto the viewing bridge, but he ‘pulled away from her’ and scaled the enclosure’s fence, before being attacked.
It has been suggested the man, in his twenties, desperately gestured in sign language at the big cat – prompting speculation he may have had learning difficulties.
Footage posted to social media shows Altai, a 30-stone Siberian tiger, clawing and ragdolling the man in full view of families at the park near Doncaster.
The man sat up and screamed ‘stop’ several times, which caused the tiger to retreat temporarily, but the animal ultimately acted on its instincts and inflicted fatal injuries.
Two ambulances and a helicopter rushed to the park at 1:35pm, with a ‘black screen’ erected around the enclosure as lifesaving treatment was attempted. Tragically, however, the man was later pronounced dead.
Zookeepers were said to have done ‘everything they could’ to drive Altai off, firing five loud acoustic gun blasts in attempts to scare him.
Witnesses described how the man had been ‘dancing’ on the viewing bridge with earphones in, and asked another guest to take a photo of him with the tiger in the background, before climbing off the platform and approaching the fence.
A man was mauled to death by Altai (pictured), a Siberian tiger, after climbing into the big cat’s enclosure
The unidentified victim is said to have resisted a woman’s attempts to pull him to safety
One said that a woman tried to pull the man back onto the viewing bridge above the enclosure but ‘wasn’t strong enough’.
He ‘pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft’ into the pen, the visitor said, before kneeling in front of the tiger, which began to circle.
‘But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling “no”, and the tiger grabbed him by the neck. It all happened very fast,’ they added.
During the attack, the man appeared to make a fist and wag his little finger, which has been identified as resembling the gesture for ‘bad’ in Makaton – a sign language system often used by those with difficulties expressing themselves.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed that Altai will not be euthanised in the wake of the incident and is unharmed.
An animal ranger at the zoo, Charlotte Pywell, today told the Daily Mail: ‘I was not there. I don’t know who the guy was or what made him jump.
‘It was not the tiger’s fault at all. It was just something else to play with. The keepers are all distraught. It was not a very nice day.’
Visitors were evacuated by staff before the park was closed for the remainder of the day
The scene at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday after a tiger mauled a man who entered its enclosure
In a statement, the park said: ‘Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger.
‘We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.
‘We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident.’
A source told Manchester Evening News on Sunday: ‘Shots were fired into the air to make a noise and distract the tiger. The animal wasn’t shot and is absolutely fine and not injured.
‘The barriers are huge. You would have to really want to get inside the enclosure to be able to do it. From start to end the incident was over within minutes.
‘The keepers did everything they could. It’s horrific.’
Another visitor to the zoo said she saw three female zookeepers sitting on the floor in the wake of the attack, one with her head buried in her hands.
A separate video clip appeared to show the man moments before he entered the enclosure asking fellow parkgoers to take a picture of him with the animal.
He says: ‘Excuse me, can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?’ while Altai lies in the background under a shaded tree, playing with a fallen branch.
A woman agrees and takes a photo, before he asks three times for ‘one more’ picture and then says: ‘Thank you, lady.’
Altai arrived at the park in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born
Flowers placed by a local resident near the entrance to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Police officers at the scene of the park on Saturday
An air ambulance and police van are seen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon
Only minutes later, witnesses watched in horror as the man then climbed into the enclosure, where he was heard crying ‘no, no’ as the tiger launched his attack.
In further footage, a woman’s voice can be heard saying: ‘I tried to stop him,’ while zoo keepers raced to the scene armed with gas-powered acoustic guns, firing five blasts close to the predator in an attempt to drive Altai off.
A witness told The Mail on Sunday the man, who had a mobile phone and was wearing AirPods, appeared to ‘psyche himself up’ by performing a ‘dance’ in the spectator area before climbing the fence.
Marie Miller described the attack on Facebook: ‘Twenty minutes before today’s tragic incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park this tiger was sat enjoying the sunshine.
‘The man who I saw on the bridge with his EarPods in dancing was happily enjoying seeing the tiger.
‘He obviously wasn’t with anyone and he asked a total stranger to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background.
‘Probably the last photo on his phone. 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.
‘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. Thankfully, we didn’t see the young man in the enclosure, we had just left the area.’
Speaking from her home today, she said: ‘I am not talking. I need to speak to the police first. What I have put on Facebook is all you need to know.’
The zoo remained closed today as staff struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service sent two road ambulances plus an air ambulance. Paramedics with blood transfusion kits were seen trying to save the victim but South Yorkshire Police later confirmed he had died from his injuries.
Keepers were later seen wrapping black plastic sheeting around a section of the enclosure to shield it from view.
Police said they received reports at 1.35pm of a man entering the enclosure. A statement said: ‘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.’
Officers urged people not to share footage of the attack.
The tiger was uninjured and remained in its enclosure, the force added, saying there was no wider risk to the public.
The park said it was working closely with the authorities to establish exactly what happened.
The attraction was evacuated after the attack and will remain shut today. One witness praised staff for remaining calm during the incident.
Altai arrived at the park in February last year from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born.
A Yorkshire Wildlife Park spokesman said on Saturday night: ‘We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure.
‘Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated and emergency services attended 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.’
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land Of The Tigers area opening in 2011.
It is a purpose-built two-acre reserve for Siberian tigers, an endangered species with around 500 left in the wild. Photos show a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.
The attack comes only four months after a three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile pit by a man in Cambridgeshire.
Were you at Yorkshire Wildlife Park? Email caitlin.leng@dailymail.co.uk
