A photograph has emerged of the troubled man who died after being attacked by a tiger at a Yorkshire zoo, while footage appears to capture the moment he approached the animal after entering its enclosure on Saturday afternoon.
William Chapman can be seen in a gym selfie that he posted on social media.
In another image, shared on the day he died, Chapman is pictured holding a Bible and a crossbow while wearing the same clothes seen in footage from Yorkshire Wildlife Park. A crossbow bolt can be seen between his teeth.
Video posted to Instagram just minutes before the attack shows him filming as he slowly approached Altai, a tiger resting on a raised wooden platform.
Heavy breathing can be heard in the background as horrified visitors react, with some shouting: “Oh my God.”
The man, who has not been formally identified by authorities, was killed shortly after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Moments before climbing into the pen, Chapman had been dancing alone to music and asked a visitor to take a photograph of him with Altai, a 200kg male Siberian tiger, in the background.
He then started scaling the enclosure while a woman desperately attempted to restrain him. He fell about 12ft to the ground inside the pen.
As the tiger attacked, Chapman was heard repeatedly shouting “stop”. He also appeared to make the Makaton sign for “bad”, using a communication system commonly used by people who have difficulty speaking or communicating.
The developments came as a witness who took the final photograph of Chapman fought back tears while urging “not very nice” online trolls to consider the impact of their comments before posting them.
Visitors at the park on Saturday said the man repeatedly told the tiger to “stop” and “stop being naughty” after the attack began. Witnesses described him as appearing “not attached to reality”.
Distressing footage shared on social media appears to show the tiger pawing at and playing with the man before visitors saw the animal leap towards his neck.
A photograph has emerged of William Chapman, the troubled man who died after entering a tiger enclosure at a Yorkshire zoo
Video said to have been filmed inside the enclosure shows the camera holder slowly moving towards a wooden platform where one of the tigers is resting
William Chapman’s social media profile includes several photographs of him, along with footage from Yorkshire Wildlife Park recorded on Saturday
A man died after climbing into the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park and being attacked by Altai, a 200kg male Siberian tiger, pictured above
An air ambulance and police vehicle were photographed at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon
Visitors were quickly evacuated as emergency teams, including an air ambulance, raced to the park. The man was later confirmed dead. His family has been informed and is receiving support from specialist officers.
Keepers were reported to have done “everything they could” to move Altai away, firing five loud acoustic gun blasts in an effort to frighten the tiger off.
Two ambulances and a helicopter arrived at the park at 1.35pm. A “black screen” was placed around the enclosure while attempts were made to provide lifesaving treatment.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which remains closed, confirmed that Altai will not be euthanised in the wake of the incident.
It comes as a woman who took a picture of Mr Chapman just moments before he entered the enclosure appealed for trolls to stop posting about the incident in a tearful video on social media last night.
Del Taylor asked people joking about the attack online to ‘think about why maybe he’d do something like this’.
An emotional Ms Taylor said it was ‘upsetting’ to know she had taken the last photograph of him, and hit out at ‘not very nice’ and ‘presumptuous’ comments online.
‘I’ve seen a lot of speculation online about this person, this man, and a lot of it is not very nice, very presumptuous,’ she said in a video posted on TikTok.
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‘I just wish people would take a moment to think about why maybe he’d do something like this.
‘Maybe it was a lack of danger, awareness of danger. I just feel if somebody had seen this man like myself and a few other people had that day, and you’d seen him dancing his way up and down the bridge with his AirPods in.
‘He was so happy. And then he’s come and placed himself next to us and he’s passed me his phone, and he’s asked me for his photo, and if you’d have seen him, without saying too much, you would understand why I’m saying what I’m saying.’
She continued: ‘It’s so upsetting to think that apart from that awful viral video of him being attacked by the tiger online that the last photo of that man probably alive is the one that I’ve taken on his phone for him.
‘But, I’m just asking people to keep a broader mind on what’s happened.’
Ms Taylor said she was speaking out after her name appeared ‘all over’ social media, after witnesses described the minutes before the fatal attack. The video was later deleted.
Those at the scene described Mr Chapman as having been dancing up and down a walkway above the enclosure before asking Ms Taylor for the picture.
The scene at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday after a tiger mauled a man who entered its enclosure
Visitors were evacuated by staff before the park was closed for the remainder of the day after the attack
A video clip appeared to show him moments before he entered the enclosure asking fellow parkgoers to take a picture of him with the animal.
He says: ‘Excuse me, can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?’ while Altai lies in the background under a shaded tree, playing with a fallen branch.
A woman, believed to be Ms Taylor, agrees and takes a photo, before he asks three times for ‘one more’ picture and then says: ‘Thank you, lady.’
An animal ranger at the zoo, Charlotte Pywell, said: ‘I was not there. I don’t know who the guy was or what made him jump.
‘It was not the tiger’s fault at all. It was just something else to play with. The keepers are all distraught. It was not a very nice day.’
In a statement, the park said: ‘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.
‘We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident.’
The licensing authority for Yorkshire Wildlife Park, City of Doncaster Council, has now launched a health and safety investigation into the man’s death.
Dan Swaine, executive director of place at City of Doncaster Council, said: ‘As the relevant licensing authority for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, I can confirm that, in line with our statutory duties, the council has launched a health and safety investigation.
‘We are also working with multiple agencies, including the police and health agencies, and are supporting the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in response to the incident.
‘At this time, we won’t be commenting further on the individual or the investigation and we ask that the privacy of those involved is respected at this difficult time.’
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land of the Tigers attraction opening in 2011.
The attraction is a purpose-built, two-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.
Photos of the enclosure on the park’s website show a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.
