Man killed after entering tiger enclosure at U.K. zoo

Bystander heard saying 'I tried to stop him' in a video posted online

Published Oct 11, 2026  •  2 minute read

In this 2009 file photo, a female Siberian tiger is pictured at the Cherry Brook Zoo in Saint John, N.B. Photo by Noel Chenier /Telegraph-Journal/Postmedia Network

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A man was mauled to death by a tiger after entering an enclosure at a zoo in northern England Saturday afternoon, sparking an evacuation of the attraction as police investigated the incident.

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Yorkshire Wildlife Park, located in Doncaster, said in a statement that the zoo would remain closed Sunday while “the staff team who were deeply affected by the events receive specialist support.”

Though zoo officials didn’t provide details on how the unidentified man, believed to be a man in his 20s, got inside the tiger enclosure, a witness told the Mail on Sunday that the man, who had a cellphone and was wearing AirPods, appeared to “psyche himself up” by dancing before climbing over the fence into the enclosure.

Before climbing in, he reportedly had asked a woman to take a photo of him with the Siberian tiger.

Video captures terrifying encounter

In a video posted on X that appeared to show the moments leading up to the fatal attack, the man is seen on the ground being dragged by the massive feline as bystanders watch in horror. A woman is heard saying, “I tried to stop him,” while another man shouts at the tiger to distract it.

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South Yorkshire Police said its officers received reports of a man entering the zoo enclosure at 1:35 p.m. Saturday.

“The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury,” police said in the statement.

“Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene,” cops said.

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Police noted that the man’s family was aware of the attack and was being supported.

The tiger was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident, cop said, adding that the zoo was evacuated.

The zoo said the tiger, named Altai, is “safe and well and will not be euthanized as a result of this incident.”

The conservation park thanked the public for their concern following the “tragic incident,” and said their “thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family  and loved ones of the man who sadly lost his life.”

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