The individual who tragically lost his life following a tiger attack in Yorkshire asked a bystander to take his photograph just moments before entering the creature’s enclosure. Del Taylor was positioned on the viewing platform at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday (October 10) when the unidentified man approached her.
She recalled that he requested: “Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?” Del subsequently used the gentleman’s mobile phone while he positioned himself with the Siberian tiger visible in the background. Video footage captured by her partner depicts the man chuckling as he asked for “one more, one more, one more”.
He then remarked: “Thank you, lady.”
The couple then departed the area, and moments later, the man climbed over the safety barrier and accessed the enclosure. Del informed The Sun: “He was completely alone. At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me. My partner was recording the tiger and you can hear me having this interaction. You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure. I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him.”
Another park visitor purportedly tried to drag the victim back onto the viewing bridge, but he “pulled away from her” and accessed the enclosure, according to a separate witness. They said the woman “wasn’t strong enough” to hold back the unnamed man, and as a result he “pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft” into the pen.
He then “knelt in front of the tiger”, they added.
The witness recalled: “But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling, ‘No’, and the tiger grabbed him by the neck. It all happened very fast. The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man.”
The man had been dancing while using his mobile phone and wearing Apple AirPods before scaling the barrier. Onlookers reported he captured a photograph with Altai the Amur tiger visible behind him just moments before leaping from an observation platform.
Park rangers, who fired warning shots and “did everything they could” to avert the tragedy, have been provided with “specialist support”. Staff were able to frighten Altai away by firing gas-powered acoustic guns into the air, causing him to withdraw to a nearby shelter.
The big cat was quickly contained, however the man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park issued a statement saying: “We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday’s] tragic incident.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life. The park will be closed while the staff team who were deeply affected by events receive specialist support. Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”
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