Man dies after entering tiger enclosure at England wildlife park

A man has died after entering a tiger enclosure at a wildlife park in northern England and being attacked by one of the animals, police said.

South Yorkshire Police said officers and emergency medical staff were called to Yorkshire Wildlife Park near the city of Doncaster at about 1:35pm on Saturday (12:35 GMT) after receiving reports that a man had entered the enclosure.

He died at the scene. It was not immediately clear how he got in.

The tiger was not injured and stayed inside the enclosure during the incident, police said, adding that there was no wider risk to the public.

The park was evacuated, and officers remained at the scene on Saturday night.

“The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time,” police said in a statement.

Police also confirmed they were aware of footage circulating on social media that appeared to show the man inside the enclosure shortly before the attack, urging members of the public not to share the distressing video.

The park said it had closed after a serious incident involving the tiger enclosure and would remain closed until Sunday.

“We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened,” the park said in a statement on its website.

“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority”.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park began operating in 2009, and its Land of the Tigers attraction –  a purpose-built 0.4-hectare (2-acre) reserve for endangered Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers – opened in 2011.

A raised walkway, 300 metres (985 feet) long, lets visitors watch the tigers roam through woodland and grassland and play in a waterfall pool, the park said.