A man believed to be in his 20s who was mauled to death by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park may have used a hand gesture meaning “bad” in an apparent attempt to deter the animal.
The unidentified man entered the tiger enclosure at the park near Doncaster on Saturday afternoon and was attacked by Altai, a 30-stone Siberian tiger. He was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of emergency crews.
Footage circulated online appeared to show the man being approached and circled by the animal. In the recording, he seems to clench a fist and wag his little finger at the tiger, prompting speculation that he was using Makaton.
Makaton is a communication system which combines hand signs, pictures and speech. It is distinct from British Sign Language and is often used by people who have difficulty expressing themselves.
Users on X suggested that the gesture meant “bad”. One wrote that the man was “using Makaton there when pointing his little finger with a clenched fist to say ‘Bad’”, while another said his hand signals appeared to resemble the system.
Man entered tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Other footage appeared to show the man asking another visitor to take a photograph of him with the tiger. He could be heard saying: “Excuse me, can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?”
After agreeing, the woman was asked for “one more” picture three times before the man thanked her, saying: “Thank you, lady.” Witnesses later watched as he climbed into the enclosure and was heard crying “no, no” as the tiger attacked.
A woman’s voice could be heard in further footage saying: “I tried to stop him.” Keepers raced to the scene with gas-powered acoustic guns and fired five loud blasts in an attempt to drive the tiger away.
South Yorkshire Police said they received reports of a man entering the enclosure at about 1.35pm. Two road ambulances and an air ambulance attended, but the man died from his injuries.
The force said: “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.”
Police urged members of the public not to share footage of the attack. They said the tiger was uninjured and remained in its enclosure, with no wider risk to the public.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated following the incident and closed for the remainder of the day. The attraction said it was working with the authorities to establish what had happened.
On Sunday, the park confirmed that Altai would not be euthanised. It said: “We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”
Altai arrived at the park in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born. The park’s Land of the Tigers area is a two-acre reserve with a high walkway for visitors and fencing around the area where the animals roam.
