A man described as “agitated” suffered serious injuries after entering a tiger enclosure at a zoo and being mauled by one of the animals. Staff fired shots during the emergency response.
South Yorkshire Police said the unidentified man went into the enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park at approximately 1.30pm.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the park after reports of the attack, including two ambulances and an air ambulance helicopter.
Police confirmed that the man sustained serious injuries and said officers were urgently working to contact his family. No further information will be released at this stage, the force added.
Gas canisters are believed to have been fired to drive the tiger back into its enclosure. The area was later screened off with black panels, while witnesses said they heard as many as five shots.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park is home to two Amur tigers: a 17-stone female named Tschuna and a male called Altai, who arrived at the park in March last year.
The wildlife park, located near Doncaster, was evacuated and will remain closed for the rest of the day and throughout Sunday.
Footage posted on social media appears to show a man in a black sweatshirt kneeling with his arms spread as a tiger attacks him from behind.
The animal appears to bite the man’s back before dragging him to the ground and standing over him.
The unidentified man can then be seen pointing at the tiger while repeatedly shouting, “Stop.”
A police vehicle outside Yorkshire Wildlife Park after a man was mauled inside a tiger enclosure
Staff evacuated visitors before closing the park for the remainder of the day
Tschuna, a 17-stone Amur tiger, is one of two tigers at the park; it remains unclear which animal was involved
A second video appears to show the tiger holding the man down with its paws and playing with him on the ground.
Visitor Dominic Ford, who was at the park with his four-year-old niece, said staff instructed them to leave and appeared to remain “calm” during the evacuation.
Mr Ford said an air ambulance, a road ambulance and “a hell of a lot of police” arrived at the scene.
Another visitor, Tia Hanson, told The Star that she and a friend were at the park when the walkway linking the tiger enclosure with the exit was closed.
“It looks as if someone has jumped into the enclosure,” she said. “People are saying they heard a gunshot, and that someone either jumped in or fell in.”
She added: “When you leave, you have to walk past the tiger enclosure, and they put up all sorts of black tarpaulin so you couldn’t really see.”
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Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed that a “serious incident” had taken place at the tiger enclosure.
It reads: ‘Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene.
‘We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened
‘The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority. The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.’
An air ambulance and police van are seen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon
The incident took place at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon, and left the man with serious injuries
A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘I can confirm we were called at 13.33 on Saturday 10 October 2026 to an incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.
‘We sent a number of resources, including two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor. Any further enquiries should be directed to South Yorkshire Police.’
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: ‘At 1.35pm today (Saturday 10 October) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
‘The tiger has subsequently attacked the man and this has resulted in serious injury.
‘Officers are working at pace to make contact with the man’s family and no further detail will be provided at this time.
‘The tiger remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.
‘Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries.’
The attack comes only months after a three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile pit by a disabled man in Cambridgeshire.
The toddler was hurled 15ft into an enclosure containing at least 15 reptiles and bitten by a croc at Johnsons of Old Hurst in Huntingdon on June 18.
He was taken to hospital after he reportedly landed on a concrete walkway, suffering a broken arm and pelvis. He has since undergone seven gruelling operations, including a nerve graft aimed at restoring some function to one of his hands.
The 30-year-old suspect, who has a learning disability, was visiting the zoo with two carers when he launched the attack. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder later that day.
Were YOU at Yorkshire Wildlife Park? Email elizabeth.haigh@dailymail.co.uk
