A man has died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster and being attacked by one of the animals, police said.
South Yorkshire Police said officers and emergency medical staff were called to the wildlife park at about 1.35pm on Saturday, after reports that a man had entered the enclosure. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was not immediately clear how he got inside. The tiger was not injured and remained in the enclosure throughout the incident, police said.
There was no wider risk to the public, but the park was evacuated. Officers remained at the scene on Saturday night as the circumstances were investigated.
The man’s family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers. Police said: “Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.”
Officers also said they were aware of footage circulating on social media which appeared to show the man inside the enclosure shortly before the attack. Members of the public were urged not to share the distressing video.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park closed following what it described as a serious incident involving the tiger enclosure and said it would remain shut until Sunday.
The park said: “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 enclosure is part of the park’s Land of the Tigers attraction, a purpose-built 0.4-hectare reserve for endangered Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers. The attraction opened in 2011, with a 300-metre raised walkway allowing visitors to view the animals in woodland and grassland.
