Yorkshire Wildlife Park: tiger will not be put down after fatal attack
The park said the Amur tiger, called Altai, stays in its enclosure and will not be euthanised. Staff who were at the scene are to receive specialist support.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has said the tiger involved in a fatal attack on a visitor will not be euthanised.
A park spokesperson said the Amur tiger, called Altai, remained in the enclosure and was safe and well, the BBC reported. Many people had contacted the park about the animal, the spokesperson added.
The park said its “thoughts and heartfelt sympathies” remained with the man’s family. Staff who were at the scene were “deeply affected by events” and would receive specialist support, the spokesperson said.
The park near Doncaster has stayed closed. It said on its website that it would remain closed on 11 October, and the site still carried a “Park closed today” notice on 12 October. Floral tributes have been left at its entrance.
South Yorkshire Police said the man’s family were being supported by officers. “Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time,” the force said. It said it was aware of videos circulating online and encouraged people not to share the footage.
Police have not named the man or said what led to the enclosure being entered. The investigation is continuing.
Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary and MP for Doncaster North, offered “deepest condolences” to the family of the man who died and thanked the emergency services and park staff who responded.
What happened before
South Yorkshire Police said it was called at 13:35 BST on 10 October to reports of a man entering the tiger enclosure at the attraction. The tiger then attacked the man, who died at the scene. Police said the tiger was uninjured and remained in the enclosure. The park was evacuated.
Earlier on 10 October the park said in a statement on its website that its emergency response procedures had been “immediately activated” and that it was “working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened”.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with its Land of the Tigers area opening in 2011. The two-acre reserve is home to Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.
