By Catherine Pope, Staff Writer
On Monday, October 10, 2026 emergency services were called to Yorkshire Wildlife Park at 1:30 in the afternoon after a man jumped into a tiger enclosure and was mauled to death.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is located in the outskirts of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England in the villages of Branton and Auckley. The park originally opened in April 2009, and its Land of the Tiger section opened two years later in May 2011.
The park is a 150-acre wildlife and conservation center with expansive outdoor trails and themed areas. Their mission is to create an environment for the preservation of endangered species and the promotion of global biodiversity. They aim to make understanding and sustainability of the natural world and its animals more widely recognized.
One of the animals in the wildlife park is a five-year-old tiger named Altai. Altai is a rare Amur tiger, also known as a Siberian tiger, which is the largest big cat in the world. This species of tiger can grow to be 160-190kg (about 350-420lbs) as a male.
This cat was out in his enclosure when the victim, 24-year-old William Chapman, visited the park in early October.
Chapman was born in Chichester, West Sussex, England, but had moved and lived in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England at the time of the incident. He was a self employed trader and was known to be a warm and engaging person.
Despite his friendly personality, Chapman suffered from severe mental illness. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered from episodes of psychosis. He was prescribed numerous medications to help with his mental health.
There have been inquiries into whether or not his mental health issues were what caused him to enter the tiger’s enclosure.
To enter the tiger paddock, Chapman had to climb over two separate fences. The viewing area for Land of the Tiger has a 300 meter long raised walkway where people can view the animals from above. This walkway has its own one-meter-high railing to protect people from falling.
He climbed over this railing along with an additional protective fence. The second fence is a five meter high perimeter fence that sits just beyond the visitor’s guard rail. There is a fifteen foot drop from this fence into the habitat below. At the top of this fence there is an additional electrified barrier strip to deter both people and animals from approaching.
After Chapman entered the tiger enclosure, Altai was seen approaching him and swatting at the man with his paw. He was seen trying to protect himself from the large cat and keep him away.
Visitors claim that the tiger then attacked the man further and gave him several severe injuries. Emergency services were called to the wildlife park, but Chapman’s injuries were too traumatic and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Experts explained that the tiger was prompted to attack out of its protective instincts. Tigers are very territorial animals, and for Altai, this is his only habitat to protect. Seeing a person enter his paddock prompted Altai to defend his land and attack Chapman.
The park was closed for six days following the incident, but has since reopened. Officials are still conducting investigations into the cause of this accident and how it was able to occur.
The wildlife park has ensured that they are providing trauma support and care for all those impacted by the incident. The park has also confirmed that Altai, the tiger involved, will not be euthanized and will remain safe in his reserve at the park.