Wildlife park confirms tiger will not be euthanized after man mauled to death | Yorkshire

A Yorkshire wildlife park has confirmed that the tiger which mauled a man to death who entered its enclosure will not be euthanised.

A man, who has not yet been named, was seen entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, before police were called at 1.35pm on Saturday.

South Yorkshire Police said the tiger “then attacked the man, seriously injuring him” and that despite the efforts of emergency services, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement released on Sunday, the wildlife park thanked those who had expressed concern following the “tragic incident” and said their “thoughts and sincere sympathies” remained with the family of the man who lost his life.

“The park will be closed today and the staff team, deeply affected by the events, will benefit from specialist support,” the statement said. The park also confirmed that the tiger, named Altai, was “safe and sound and will not be euthanized” following the incident.

Foreign Secretary and Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband said he was “deeply saddened” and sent his “thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the deceased”.

“I am very grateful to the emergency services and park staff who responded,” Miliband added.

A park visitor, Marie Miller, wrote in a Facebook post that she had seen the man before the incident and that he was “happily enjoying” her visit. Miller said the man asked a stranger to take a photo of him.

“The man I saw on the bridge with his headphones dancing was happy to see the tiger,” the message read.

“He asked a complete stranger to take a photo of him with the tiger in the background.”

Another visitor, who did not wish to be identified, told the South West News Service it was “scary and confusing” when the park was evacuated after the incident.

She said: “At first we were all scared and confused because we had no idea what was happening. Various roads had been closed and staff were positioned around the park directing visitors where to go.

“The scariest part was not knowing what was happening.”

The visitor said she had heard people say the man was 22, but could not confirm it. “As we passed the police near the tiger enclosure, we saw police surrounding a young man in the tiger enclosure,” she said. “We saw an air ambulance outside the park, although from what we observed it didn’t take anyone away.”

South Yorkshire Police said the man’s family were informed of the incident on Saturday and were receiving support from specialist officers. The force encouraged people not to share videos of the incident which circulated online.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, and the Land of the Tigers attraction opened in 2011. The attraction is on a purpose-built 2-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies of which around 500 individuals remain in the wild.