Woman ‘tried to stop man jumping into tiger enclosure before he was mauled to death’

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COMMENTSA woman heroically tried to save a man who was mauled to death by a tiger at wildlife park, according to a witness.

The man was set upon by the tiger after entering the enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday.

A visitor who watched the horrific incident said a woman tried to pull the man back onto the viewing bridge above the enclosure but “wasn’t strong enough”, according to The Mirror.

The visitor said the man “pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft” into the pen.

He was said to have then “knelt in front of the tiger, who didn’t immediately attack and was initially just circling the man”.

The witness said: “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. The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man.”

Emergency services were contacted shortly after 1.30pm. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, South Yorkshire Police have said, adding that his family were informed.

In a statement on social media on Sunday, the wildlife park said “many, many people” had contacted them about Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the incident, and it confirmed he is “safe and well” and will not be euthanised.

A man died after suffering serious injuries in a tiger enclosurePAIt added that members of park staff were “deeply affected” by the incident and received specialist support.

The park was evacuated soon after the incident and remained closed on Sunday.

It is expected to open on Monday but it is unclear whether the tiger enclosure will be open as normal.

Videos circulating online appear to show a man being pawed at and grappled by Altai in the tiger enclosure at the park, near Doncaster.Another appears to have the voice of the as-yet-unidentified man asking people to take a photo of him with the tiger, before the incident took place.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land of the Tigers attraction opening in 2011.

The attraction is a purpose-built, two-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.

A police spokesperson said on Saturday: “At 1.35pm, we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park was expected to reopen on Monday PA Wire“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.

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“The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.

“Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.”

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said two land ambulances, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended the scene.

Photos of the enclosure on the park’s website show a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.

South Yorkshire Police said it is aware of the footage of the attack online and asked people not to share it.