Yorkshire Wildlife Park: Man killed by tiger in enclosure attack named and pictured.TA
The man who was killed by a tiger after breaking into its enclosure at a zoo in Yorkshire last week has been named. The victim has been identified as William Chapman, who is believed to have been in his early 20s, following the horrific incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Saturday. Mr Chapman, was described as vulnerable by police. Footage reportedly recorded by him from inside the enclosure shows him approaching Altai, a five-year-old Amur tiger, as the animal sits on top of a wooden platform. Mr Chapman can be heard breathing heavily in the clip as horrified members of the public urge him to turn back, with one person shouting: “Seriously.”
One eyewitness said “you could see blood” and described seeing the tiger “dragging the man” by his neck. Park rangers fired warning shots in an effort to scare the animal away before it retreated and was secured.
Emergency services rushed to the wildlife park shortly after 1.30pm, but Mr Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene.
It has also emerged that a woman desperately attempted to stop Mr Chapman from entering the enclosure moments before the fatal attack.
Witness Anthony Hunt said the woman tried to pull him back before Mr Chapman managed to break free.
He told The Telegraph: “He overpowered her and jumped off. She seemed really frightened. We spoke to her after and she was like, ‘I tried to pull him back’ but I guess she didn’t want to risk her own life as well.”
William Chapman (Image: Instagram)
Mr Hunt also said he had seen Mr Chapman “dancing erratically” after arriving at the park earlier that day.
It is thought Mr Chapman jumped from a viewing platform into the enclosure before the tiger attacked him.
He had reportedly posed for a photograph with the animal in the background just moments before entering the enclosure.
Another clip appears to show Mr Chapman on the ground just feet from the tiger, gesturing towards the animal and moving his legs in its direction.
Other footage captured Mr Chapman shouting “No, no, no!” and “Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” as the animal repeatedly lunged towards him.
Witnesses have described the horrifying scenes that unfolded in front of families visiting the park.
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Mr Chapman reportedly posed for a photo with the tiger in the background moments before the attack (Image: instagram.com@williamchapman2024)
Previous selfie taken by William Chapman (Image: instagram.com/williamchapman2024)
The wildlife park was evacuated following the attack, with screens erected around the scene.
It remains closed while staff affected by the incident receive specialist support.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has since confirmed that Altai is “safe and well” and will not be euthanised.
South Yorkshire Police previously confirmed that the tiger was uninjured and remained inside its enclosure following the incident.
The force 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.”
Police have also urged members of the public not to share footage of the fatal attack after videos began circulating online.
William Chapman is reported to have been in his early twenties (Image: instagram.com@williamchapman2024)
Yorkshire Wildlife Park remains closed today, Tuesday, October 13, while investigations into Mr Chapman’s death continue.
The attraction’s website lists the park as due to reopen on Wednesday, October 14, from 9.45am to 5pm, while the neighbouring Yorkshire Hive remains open as usual.
The park’s Land of the Tigers attraction opened in 2011 and is a purpose-built two-acre reserve for Amur tigers.
The endangered subspecies is among the world’s rarest big cats, with around 500 believed to remain in the wild.
WW3 fears explode as Russia attacks and sinks ships inside NATO territory
Fury as suspected drone bombardment branded ‘completely unacceptable’
A ship sunk near Bulgaria (Image: X)
A suspected Russian drone attack hit two ships off the coast of Bulgaria in the Black Sea, sinking one of the vessels. Bulgaria’s prime minister, Rumen Radev, said the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 was sailing under the Maltese flag when it was hit by three drones some 18 nautical miles (20 miles) off the Bulgarian coast at around 1.30am (11.30pm BST) on Tuesday.
Its crew – seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis – were rescued and safely transported to the port of Varna after it was struck by three drones. Five crew members received medical assistance, but no one was seriously injured.
A second ship, the AZOV CONCORD, flying the flag of St Kitts and Nevis, was attacked about 17 nautical miles (19 miles) from the village of Krapets in north-eastern Bulgaria and sank. One sailor was rescued.
Mr Radev described the attacks as “absolutely unacceptable” and said that, although there was no “conclusive evidence” of Moscow’s involvement, he would summon Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova for a meeting on Tuesday.
Mr Radev said: “Another attack on merchant ships in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable. Our permanent representative to NATO and our permanent representative to the European Union have been notified. I am scheduled to speak with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.
“We do not have solid and clear evidence to bring charges against any of the parties, but logic, as I have already stated, indicates that the result is in favour of the Russian Federation. Therefore, today I will summon ambassador Mitrofanova for a conversation.”
Russia launched massive aerial assaults on Ukraine overnight (Image: Getty)
Bulgaria has informed its representatives to NATO and the EU that it will seek international support to investigate the drone attacks and establish their country of origin, Mr Radev said. Sofia is also requesting assistance to strengthen air and maritime surveillance and improve its response capabilities.
Russia launched a massive overnight air assault on Ukraine, raising concerns about a potential threat to Polish territory and fuelling fears of a wider conflict. In response, Poland’s Government Centre for Security (RCB) issued an alert on X in the early hours of Tuesday, warning residents in the Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships.
The RCB said: “ATTENTION! Russian air attack on Ukrainian territory. The situation is being monitored. In the airspace of the Republic of Poland, Polish aviation is operating. Expect further communications. The RCB Alert has been sent to recipients in the Subcarpathian and Lublin voivodeships.”
Such attacks by Moscow could be intended to test NATO’s willingness to invoke Article 5, which states that an armed attack against a NATO ally is legally considered an attack against all 32 members of the alliance.
Russian strikes have been edging closer and closer to NATO territory, with Bulgaria being hit with a wave of incidents in its territorial waters.
On October 6, the crew of a merchant vessel went missing after two ships were struck in the Black Sea off the coast of NATO member Bulgaria – an incident Mr Radev described as a “gross violation of international law.”
One of the ships, the ALFA WATAN, sank, while the search for its 12 reported crew members was called off without success. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a joint investigation with Bulgaria’s navy showed that Russia was behind the attack.
“The Ukrainian Defence Forces were conducting no operations in this part of the sea,” he said. Although Bulgaria does not border Russia or Ukraine, it occupies a strategic position on the Black Sea, home to major ports of both countries.
