UK4 min(s) read
Witness claims she took final photo of man who was mauled to death after climbing into tiger enclosure
A witness has claimed she took the final photo of the man who was mauled to death after climbing into a tiger enclosure.
As widely reported, emergency services arrived at Yorkshire Wildlife Park shortly after 1:30PM on Saturday (October 10) after it was reported that a man had entered the tiger den.
Videos and images shared online appeared to show the initial moments of a man wearing a black jersey, kneeling with his back turned away from the wild animal, named Altai.
Officials later confirmed that the man, who was in his early 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the park closed its doors on Sunday (October 11).
The lion, which is named Altai, will also not be euthanized, according to a statement issued by the park.
"We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident," they said. "Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life."
"The park will be closed today, and the staff team who were deeply affected by events will receive specialist support.
"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," they added,
Altai arrived at the park in March 2025 after travelling over 1,135 miles from his previous home at the Norwegian Zoo, Dyreparken.
Witness claims she took the final photo of the man before the tragedy
According to The Sun, a woman named Del Taylor has alleged that the late man asked her to take his photo before jumping into the enclosure.
Taylor, who was with her boyfriend, said she was approached by the man while watching Altai from a viewing platform.
He asked her, "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?" so she took his phone, and he posed with the five-year-old Siberian tiger in the background.
In a video taken by her partner, the man laughed and pleaded, "One more, one more, one more," before thanking her for taking the pictures.
The couple left the area, and moments later, the man leaped over a metre-high viewing barrier before dropping into the tiger den.
"He was completely alone," Taylor told the outlet. "At first, he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me."
"My partner was recording the tiger, and you can hear me having this interaction...You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure."
"I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him," she added.
The man landed on the grass a few feet from Altai. A clip captured him yelling "No, no, no" and "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop" as the wild animal circled him before the fatal attack.
Park rangers managed to secure the tiger, but the man died at the scene
After the male tiger lunged at the man's neck, rangers fired two warning shots from a shotgun to drive the animal away. It then retreated to its pen and was quickly secured.
Tragically, the man suffered fatal injuries and had already been mauled to death.
Two other visitors, Anthony Hunt and Scarlet Hogan, described witnessing the terrifying incident while photographing the tiger.
"We tracked the tiger’s eyes, and we saw him in the corner just walking across the enclosure," Hunt told The Telegraph. "The tiger got alerted. He went into stalk mode. The tiger came flying off the ledge and approached him."
"The man started praying to the tiger, bowing down to it – the tiger looked a bit confused. Up until he got attacked, it was like he was in a trance, not in reality at all."
Hogan added: "It looked like he was taking selfies. Then, when he got on all fours, he started praying. It was the strangest thing ever.
"He had arms wide open ready for the tiger to attack him. It was quite bad. We were just stood there, frozen... the last thing we saw was the tiger’s jaw on his neck."
The couple also revealed that another woman had "desperately tried to pull him back," but the man "overpowered her and jumped off" the viewing deck into the enclosure.
"We spoke to her after and she was like, ‘I tried to pull him back’ but I guess she didn’t want to risk her own life as well," Hunt said.