Family of man killed by tiger criticizes online content after Trump reposts video | South Yorkshire

The family of a man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park in the United Kingdom have expressed “serious distress” at online media circulation after Donald Trump reposted video of the incident.

William Chapman, 23, was mauled to death after entering an enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, on Saturday.

His family described him as “bright, warm and engaging” and suffering from serious mental illness. They said the images shared online were “deeply offensive” and caused them “serious distress”.

One of those who released footage was the US president who posted a video clip of the tiger attack to 13 million followers on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.

The clip showed the tiger biting and clawing at Chapman as he sat in the enclosure. At one point he points at the animal.

Trump signed off the clip with: “Never play with nature! President DJT.” It did not show that Chapman was killed.

The president later posted an AI-generated video of himself smiling and having fun while chasing and playing fight with the tiger. It is accompanied by the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens.

It shows Trump copying the pointing gesture made by Chapman and ends with him and the tiger hugging.

Chapman’s loved ones, in a statement released Tuesday evening, said: “The family is completely devastated by their loss and is struggling to come to terms with what has happened.

“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them serious distress at a particularly vulnerable time. We are asking people to stop doing this.

“The family hopes that the relevant authorities will do everything possible to understand why our incredible son did what he did.”

The statement continues: “William was a bright, warm and engaging young man who was loved dearly by his family – and William loved them back. Unfortunately, William suffered from significant mental illness for several years and was therefore prescribed strong medication.

“It will be up to the coroner to decide what role this played in his death.

“We ask everyone to respect this process.”

As a child, Chapman appeared in the 2009 ITV comedy-drama May Contain Nuts and the BBC Learning series True Stories, according to IMDb.

He previously attended the Jackie Palmer drama school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which paid tribute to him on Facebook and posted a photo of Chapman as a child.

The school said it was “deeply saddened” by Chapman’s death, adding: “We have loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer. It has been a privilege to be part of his journey, and he will be remembered with great affection by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

“We will truly miss William and he will always hold a special place in our hearts. Rest in peace, William.”

The wildlife park said the Amur (Siberian) tiger that was in the enclosure called Altai will not be euthanized. The park has remained closed since the weekend and Doncaster City Council, responsible for licensing the park, said it had launched a health and safety investigation.

An inquest is expected to open into the death at Doncaster Coroner’s Court on Thursday morning.