Man Killed by Tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Investigation launched as park remains closed following fatal incident involving 23-year-old William Chapman.
Carla Rooney
William Chapman, 23, was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster on Saturday.
Dan Swaine, the park's licensing authority, confirmed the council's immediate action. Multiple agencies, including police and health authorities, now collaborate to support the park.
The tiger involved in the fatal encounter, named Altai, remains safe and well. Authorities confirmed the animal will not be euthanized.
William Chapman's family expressed profound devastation, stating: "The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened."
The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened.
They conveyed hope that "the relevant authorities will do their upmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did."
The family confirmed William suffered from significant mental illness for several years, receiving strong medication. They added: "It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death."
Chapman was reportedly a former child actor, appearing in ITV’s May Contain Nuts and the BBC’s True Stories series.
He had reportedly posted a series of pictures and footage on social media in the days leading up to the incident.
A short clip, apparently posted on a now-deleted Instagram account, was reportedly filmed inside the tiger’s enclosure. Chapman appeared to film the moment he approached the animal.
Witnesses reportedly claimed Chapman was alone, dancing to music in his headphones, appearing to make a gesture for 'bad' in Makaton sign language, and telling the tiger to 'stop being naughty'.
He reportedly appeared as if he was 'in a trance' and 'not attached to reality' to witnesses.
Separately, Donald Trump shared a video of a man being fatally attacked by a tiger, reportedly posting footage of the incident at a UK wildlife park to 13 million followers on his Truth Social platform.
The US president reportedly accompanied the short clip with the signed message: "Don’t ever mess with nature!"
Trump reportedly followed this with a separate post featuring a video montage that appeared to show a series of other people being mauled by lions, accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack.
William Chapman's family stated: "The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this."
They requested privacy for those involved during this difficult time and asked everyone to respect the coroner's process.