Highlights
- Police said the tiger attacked him, causing serious injuries.
- Visitors were evacuated, and the park remained closed on Sunday (11).
- Police said the tiger was uninjured and there was no wider risk to the public.
A MAN has died after being attacked by a tiger after entering its enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in northern England, police have confirmed.
South Yorkshire Police said officers were called to the wildlife park at about 1.30pm on Saturday (10) after receiving reports that a man had entered the enclosure.
“The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury,” the force said in a statement.
Emergency services attended the scene, but the man was pronounced dead despite efforts by medical personnel.
“The man's family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time,” police said.
The man's identity and the circumstances in which he entered the enclosure had not been disclosed.
Park closes as authorities investigate
Police said the tiger remained inside the enclosure after the attack and there was no wider risk to the public. The animal was not injured, according to reports.
Visitors were evacuated from the park, which confirmed that a “serious incident” had taken place in its tiger enclosure. The attraction will remain closed on Sunday.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it had sent two road ambulances and an air ambulance to the scene.
The wildlife park said its emergency response procedures had been “immediately activated” and that it was working closely with the authorities to establish exactly what had happened.
“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority,” the park said in a statement on its website.
It added: “Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the person who has lost their life.”
MPs offer condolences to family
Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary and Labour MP for Doncaster North, said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident and offered his “thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died”.
He also thanked the emergency services and park staff who responded.
Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, said he was deeply saddened by the “tragic incident”.
“I offer my heartfelt thanks to the emergency services for their speed and professionalism,” he said, adding that support was being made available to those who needed it.
Karmelle Pelham, 39, from Worksop, was visiting the park with her family when staff told them the site was being evacuated.
She said she had heard sounds resembling “gunshots” and noticed an air ambulance circling overhead.
“There was a big, black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure,” she said, praising staff for handling the evacuation in a “very, very well organised” manner.
Police also acknowledged that videos of the incident were circulating online and urged people not to share the footage.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with its Land of the Tigers attraction launching in 2011. The area includes a two-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies native to the Russian Far East and parts of north-east China.
Visitors can view the animals from a 300-metre raised walkway overlooking an enclosure featuring woodland, grassland and a pool with a waterfall.
Around 500 Amur tigers are estimated to remain in the wild.
