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New information about man who died after entering tiger enclosure as AirPods detail emerges
New information has been shared after a man died after entering a tiger's enclosure at a wildlife park.
According to an eyewitness, the man who died after being mauled by a tiger at an English wildlife park was spotted “dancing with his EarPods in” before he allegedly leaped from a viewing platform into the enclosure, where he was killed.
Emergency services rushed to Yorkshire Wildlife Park at 1.35PM after receiving calls that a man had jumped into a tiger enclosure. Tragically, the man, believed to be in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Park rangers acted quickly to secure the tiger
Moments after the man jumped from the viewing platform, big cat Altai dragged him away. Rangers quickly fired two warning shots from a shotgun to scare the male tiger away before he retreated to his pen and was quickly secured, but it was too late, and the man had already been mauled to death.
A park visitor who witnessed the tragic incident said she had been observing the victim 20 minutes before the tragedy.
She explained in a Facebook statement: "The man who I saw on the bridge with his EarPods in dancing was happily enjoying seeing the tiger.
“He obviously wasn’t with anyone, and he asked a total stranger to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background. Probably the last photo on his phone.
"I'm not sure if he was with a carer or family member, but I honestly do think he just wanted to play with the tiger."
Another witness said: "At first, we were all scared and confused because we had no idea what was going on.
"Different routes had been closed off, and staff were positioned around the park directing visitors where to go.
"The scariest part was not knowing what was happening. As we walked past the police near the tiger enclosure, we saw officers surrounding a young man in the tiger enclosure."
The wildlife park was swiftly evacuated, and an air ambulance landed in the park shortly after the gunshots were heard.
Disturbing videos of the incident have surfaced online
In the 24 hours since the attack, several distressing videos have circulated online. One video even appears to show the young man being attacked by the tiger and begging it to stop by shouting “no” and “stop”.
In the background, witnesses can be heard shouting to distract the animal, with one visitor yelling “hey” to get the wild cat’s attention.
Midwife Amy Wright, 36, was visiting the park with her young family when the tragedy unfolded. She told The Sun: "Someone who saw it said it had him by the neck. There was a lot of blood. People were shouting to try and distract it. We heard the gunshots.
"There were two, one after the other in quick succession. We headed for the exit, but to get there you have to pass the tigers’ enclosure."
Videos of the attack and the moments leading up to it have since gone viral, but South Yorkshire police have urged people not to share them.