Yorkshire Wildlife Park Tiger Attack: Altai the Tiger Will Not Be Euthanised, Park Confirms

A man has died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster, in an incident that has shocked visitors and staff — and prompted an outpouring of concern for the tiger involved. On Sunday, the park confirmed that Altai, the endangered Amur tiger at the centre of the tragedy, is "safe and well" and will not be euthanised.

South Yorkshire Police said they received reports at around 1:35pm on Saturday, October 10, that a man had entered the enclosure. "The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury," the force said. "Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene."

What witnesses described

Witnesses described a harrowing scene. According to reports, the man was seen on the viewing platform above the Land of the Tigers exhibit — a two-acre reserve with a 300-metre raised walkway — before entering the enclosure. One witness told the Daily Mail that a woman tried unsuccessfully to pull him back onto the platform. Others said he appeared to ask another visitor to take his photo with a tiger in the background.

Park staff fired acoustic warning shots in an attempt to scare the tiger away. Two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended, but the man could not be saved. His family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers.

Altai will not be put down

The question of the tiger's fate dominated public discussion in the hours after the incident. On Sunday, Yorkshire Wildlife Park addressed it directly: "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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Altai is a five-year-old Amur — or Siberian — tiger, an endangered subspecies. He arrived at the park in March 2025 from Dyreparken in Norway as part of international conservation efforts for the species. The park, which opened in 2009, described the incident as a tragedy and said its emergency procedures were activated immediately.

A plea over the footage

Videos of the incident circulated widely on social media, and both the police and the park have asked the public not to share them. "We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this distressing footage," the park said — a plea echoed by South Yorkshire Police out of respect for the man's family and the witnesses, many of them children, who saw what happened.

The park was evacuated on Saturday and remained closed on Sunday while staff — described as deeply affected — received specialist support and police continued their inquiries. There is no wider risk to the public: the tiger never left its enclosure.

Questions that remain

Police have not identified the man, and the circumstances of how he entered the enclosure remain under investigation. What is clear is that the tragedy was not a failure of the enclosure — it was a deliberate entry by a visitor into a habitat designed to keep humans and one of the world's most powerful predators apart. The park says its thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who lost his life.