A man has died after climbing into a tiger enclosure and suffering serious injuries at a zoo in Yorkshire, police said.
Emergency services raced to Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, just after 1.30pm on Saturday to find a man had been mauled after entering the compound.
“Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene,” South Yorkshire Police said.
“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,” they added.
The park has been evacuated and will stay shut for the remainder of the weekend, the zoo said.
Did you see what happened? Contact james.reynolds@independent.co.uk
Key Points
- Man dies after entering enclosure, police say
- Victim 'climbed into enclosure' before sustaining serious injuries
- Vistors say they were evacuated from park
- Air ambulances attended incident
Recap: What do we know know so far?
03:00 , James ReynoldsA man was killed on Saturday after climbing into a tiger enclosure, police have said.
The man has not been publicly identified, but police have notified his family.
Several different names have circulated on social media, without confirmation.
The man was earlier reported to have sustained serious injuries in the enclosure.
Police acknowledged video circulating on social media, which purported to show the attack.
They asked people not to share the distressing footage.
They also confirmed the animal was not harmed and remained in the enclosure.
The zoo will be closed for the remainder of the weekend, a spokesperson said.
'A hell of a lot of police came' after evacuation order, says witness
02:00 , James ReynoldsWitness Dominic Ford was visiting the zoo this afternoon with his young niece.
He told the Daily Mail he was ordered to evacuate by zoo, who appeared “calm”.
He said “a hell of a lot of police” then arrived on scene, with an ambulance and air ambulance.
In full: Man dies after tiger attack at Yorkshire zoo
01:00 , James ReynoldsThe Independent’s full report on the incident in Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon:
Man dies after tiger attack at Yorkshire zoo
'People were shouting to distract tiger,' says witness
00:00 , James ReynoldsAmy Wright, 36, was at the park with her family at the time of the incident.
She told The Sun: “You could see the blood where the tiger had dragged the man. Someone who saw it said it had him by the neck.
“People were shouting to try and distract it. We heard the gunshots. There were two, one after the other in quick succession.
“We headed for the exit but to get there you have to pass the tigers’ enclosure.”
23:00 , James Reynolds'Warning shots' fired to scare tiger off, witnesses say
22:27 , James ReynoldsThe Mirror, citing witnesses, say two shots were fired to scare the tiger off as it attacked.
Police have said the tiger was uninjured and remained in the enclosure.
Witness heard four gunshots before air ambulance arrived
22:00 , James ReynoldsBecky, from Doncaster, tells The Mirror she was at the zoo with her children when they were evacuated due to the incident in the tiger enclosure.
“We were at the tiger enclosure 10 minutes before the incident happened,” she says.
"We heard four gun shots, but didn't think anything of it until we heard the air ambulance trying to land and then one of the park staff approached us and told us we had to leave the park.”
Foreign secretary thanks emergency services for response
21:44 , James ReynoldsEd Miliband, the foreign secretary and MP for Doncaster North, expresses his condolences following the incident in Yorkshire.
“I’m deeply saddened to hear of the incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park,” he writes on Facebook.
“I send my thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died. I am very grateful to the emergency services and staff of the park who responded.”
Man dies after entering tiger enclosure at Yorkshire zoo
21:40 , James ReynoldsA man has died after entering a tiger enclosure and being attacked by the animal at a zoo in Yorkshire.
Emergency services were called to Yorkshire Wildlife Park shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday after the unnamed victim reportedly climbed into a compound housing two of the big cats.
He sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s family have since been informed, South Yorkshire Police said.
Read the full story:
Man dies after entering tiger enclosure at Yorkshire zoo
Bulletin: Man dies after climbing into tiger enclosure
21:00 , James ReynoldsThe latest, in brief:
Yorkshire Wildlife Park: Man suffers ‘serious injuries’ after tiger attack
Where were the tigers kept?
20:45 , James ReynoldsYorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the “Land of the Tigers” attraction opening in 2011.
The attraction is on a purpose-built two-acre reserve for endangered Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has two tigers, including a 17-stone tigress called Tschuna, who arrived in 2013, and a young male called Altai, who arrived last year.
Photos of the enclosure on the park’s website shows a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.
What we know know so far?
20:30 , James ReynoldsA man was killed on Saturday after climbing into a tiger enclosure, police have said.
The man has not been publicly identified, but police have notified his family.
Several different names have circulated on social media, without confirmation.
The man was earlier reported to have sustained serious injuries in the enclosure.
Police acknowledged video circulating on social media, which purported to show the attack.
They asked people not to share the distressing footage.
They also confirmed the animal was not harmed and remained in the enclosure.
The zoo will be closed for the remainder of the weekend, a spokesperson said.
Full story: Man dies after entering tiger enclosure at British zoo
20:00 , James ReynoldsPolice said a man died on Saturday after he entered a tiger enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and was attacked.
South Yorkshire Police said officers had been called to the zoo following reports a man had entered the enclosure, adding that there was no wider risk to the public.
"The man's family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time," the police said in a statement.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said it had closed after a "serious incident" involving the tiger enclosure and was working with authorities to ascertain what had happened. The zoo will remain closed until Sunday, it added.
"The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority," it said in a statement on its website.
At the scene: Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday
19:25 , James Reynolds
Man dies after entering enclosure; tiger unharmed
18:13 , James ReynoldsA man has died after suffering serious injuries in a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, South Yorkshire Police said.
A police statement said: “At 1.35pm today (Saturday October 10) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
“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.
“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.
“Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out inquiries. We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this footage.”
Visitor recounts hearing gunshots as helicopters circled overhead
18:02 , James ReynoldsKarmelle Pelham, from Worksop, tells the BBC she was on a family day out at the park when it was evacuated.
She says they were in a lemur enclosure when they were told to leave, before being ushered “further and further into the park”.
Pelham says they heard what sounded like several gunshots before seeing helicopters circling overhead.
“There was big black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure,” she recounted, adding that staff handled the incident well.
“They did a great job of getting us out without panicking anyone.”
The latest: Serious incident confirmed, status of tiger unclear
17:24 , James ReynoldsYorkshire Wildlife Park confirms a serious incident occurred at its park on Saturday.
But it remains unclear what happened to the tiger.
The Sun suggests tranquiliser darts may have been used, following reports of gunshots at the park.
But police and the park itself are yet to comment.
What do we know so far?
17:11 , James ReynoldsPolice say they received reports that a man entered the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday lunchtime.
The man was attacked and seriously injured, but apparently survived. The status of the tiger was unclear. Some local outlets cited unconfirmed witness testimonies of shots being fired.
The man has not yet been identified and police were still working to contact his family this afternoon.
The zoo, which is home to at least two tigers, will remain shut for the rest of the weekend.
Wildlife park has two Amur tigers in captivity
17:01 , James ReynoldsYorkshire Wildlife Park has two Amur tigers in captivity, according to their website.
These include a 17-stone tigress called Tschuna, who arrived in 2013, and a male called Altai, who arrived last year.
They live in the zoo’s Land of the Tiger enclosure, a two acre complex of woodlands, grasslands and a pool.
Victim 'climbed into enclosure' and sustained serious injuries, police say
16:52 , James ReynoldsSouth Yorkshire Police confirm in a statement that a man was attacked and seriously injured after reportedly entering a tiger enclosure at the park.
They say they responded at 1.35pm on Saturday, and that officers remain on the scene, carrying out enquiries.
Police are working to make contact with the man’s family, they say.
“The tiger remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public,” the say.
“We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this distressing footage.”
In full: Zoo confirms serious incident at tiger enclosure
16:49 , James ReynoldsA spokesperson for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirms to The Independent that a serious incident occurred today at the tiger enclosure.
“Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene,” they say.
“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 park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.”
Air ambulances attended incident at tiger enclosure
16:35 , James ReynoldsYorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they attended the scene after being called at 1.33pm on Saturday afternoon to an incident at the park.
Two land ambulances, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended the scene, the emergency service has said.
