The first photos of William Chapman, the young man who lost his life on Saturday when he entered a tiger’s enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, in Doncaster, England, were released to the public on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a video he had posted on social media captures the final moments before the fatal attack.
In one of the published photos, Chapman is seen taking a selfie at a gym, which he had posted on social media a few hours before the incident. In another image, also posted on the day of his death, he is holding a Bible and a crossbow, with an arrow between his teeth. In fact, he is wearing the same clothes as those seen in the video from the tiger enclosure.
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The video he posted on Instagram, just minutes before he lost his life, shows him walking slowly toward the Siberian tiger, named Altai, which weighs about 200 kilograms. The animal was lying on a raised wooden platform, while the video captures Chapman’s heavy breathing and the terrified screams of visitors, with someone exclaiming, “Oh my God.”
He asked to have his picture taken with the tiger and then jumped into its enclosure
According to eyewitnesses, shortly before the incident, Chapman was alone on an elevated walkway above the tiger’s enclosure, dancing to music he was listening to through his headphones.
At one point, he approached a female visitor, Del Taylor, and asked her to take a photo of him with the tiger in the background. “Excuse me, can you take a picture of me with the tiger?” he can be heard saying in a video recorded shortly before the attack. The woman agreed and took photos of him, while he repeatedly asked her for one more before thanking her.
A few minutes later, Chapman began climbing the protective railings. A woman tried to stop him, but was unable to, and he jumped from a height of about 3.6 meters, landing inside the animal’s enclosure.
Visitors watched in horror as the incident unfolded, as the tiger approached the young man and attacked him. According to witnesses, Chapman was heard repeatedly shouting “stop,” while he reportedly also made a gesture corresponding to the word “bad” in the Makaton communication method, which uses signs and symbols to support people with communication difficulties.
Eyewitnesses reported that they then saw the tiger lunge at his throat.
The tiger will not be euthanized – An investigation into the incident has begun
Yorkshire Wildlife Park announced that the tiger, Altai, is safe and will not be euthanized as a result of the incident.
“A great many people have reached out to us regarding Altai. We can assure everyone that he is safe, in good health, and will not be euthanized as a result of this incident,” the park’s management stated.
A zoo employee, Charlotte Paywell, emphasized that the animal is not to blame for what happened. “I wasn’t there. I don’t know who the man was or what made him jump. It wasn’t the tiger’s fault at all. To her, it was just another thing to play with. The keepers are all devastated. It was a very unpleasant day,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Doncaster City Council, which is the licensing authority for the zoo, has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the man’s death and compliance with health and safety regulations.
A man has reportedly jumped into the tiger enclosure at The Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England. Looking at these images, there is something wrong with this man. He is trying to point a finger at the tiger
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— Semper Raw
(@SemperRaw) October 10, 2026
The municipality’s executive director, Dan Swain, confirmed that the investigation is being conducted in collaboration with the police and other relevant agencies, while also asking that the privacy of those involved be respected.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, while the specially designed tiger enclosure, known as “Land of the Tigers,” was inaugurated in 2011. It spans approximately eight stremmata and is home to Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with a population of about 500 animals in the wild. The facility features elevated walkways for visitors and protective fencing, and authorities are now investigating how Chapman managed to get past the barriers and reach the animal’s enclosure.
Source: protothema.gr
