Wildlife park remains closed after man dies in tiger enclosure
A man who entered a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday was pronounced dead at the scene. The park was evacuated and will remain closed on Sunday.
A man has died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park and being attacked by one of the animals, South Yorkshire Police said.
Police received reports at 1.35pm on Saturday 10 October of a man entering the enclosure at the park, near Doncaster. The tiger attacked the man, causing serious injury, and emergency services attended. Despite the best efforts of medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man's family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers, police said, adding that their thoughts were with the family at a distressing time.
The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.Yorkshire Wildlife Park
The tiger was uninjured in the incident and remained in the enclosure afterwards. Police said there was no wider risk to the public.
The park was evacuated soon after the incident, and officers remained at the scene carrying out enquiries. A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended.
Videos of the incident have circulated online. Police said they were aware of the footage and encouraged people not to share it, describing it as distressing.
In a statement, the wildlife park said a serious incident had taken place at one of its tiger enclosures and that its emergency response procedures were immediately activated. The park said the safety and wellbeing of its visitors, staff and animals remained its highest priority, and that it would remain closed on Sunday.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009. Its Land of the Tigers attraction, which opened in 2011, is a purpose built two acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild, where visitors watch the animals from a high walkway above the area in which the tigers roam. Police have not said how the man came to be inside the enclosure.
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