Yorkshire Wildlife Park is to reopen on Saturday while an inquest examines the death of 24-year-old William Chapman, who was fatally mauled by a tiger at the attraction near Doncaster.
Chapman died at the scene on October 10 after entering the Land of the Tiger enclosure. The park was immediately evacuated and later closed to visitors.
An inquest at Doncaster Coroner’s Court has heard that the injuries sustained during the tiger attack led to Chapman’s rapid death.
Senior coroner Nicola Mundy told the hearing: “He was approached by the tiger and the ensuing physical contact between the tiger and Chapman led to him sustaining multiple traumatic injuries which rapidly led to his death.”
The court also heard that Chapman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had previously experienced periods of psychosis, resulting in support from adult mental health services.
He was nevertheless described as “highly functioning and independent with no care requirements”.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirms tiger will not be euthanised
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said the Land of the Tiger attraction would reopen alongside the rest of the site following engagement with the relevant authorities.
It confirmed that Altai, the tiger involved in the fatal mauling, was “safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident”.
In a statement, the park said: “Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family, friends and loved ones of William Chapman who sadly lost his life.
“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff team and animals remain our highest priority.”
The park said it continued to assist South Yorkshire Police and other relevant agencies with their enquiries, adding that it was providing specialist trauma support and ongoing care for those affected.
It asked visitors returning on Saturday to be “understanding and respectful towards our staff team”, and said it would not comment further while enquiries remained ongoing.
