An “agitated” man suffered serious injuries after being mauled by a tiger when he entered its enclosure at a zoo, prompting staff to fire shots to drive the animal back.
The unidentified man was seriously injured in the attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park at around 1.30pm, South Yorkshire Police said.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service and South Yorkshire Police were called to the Doncaster park after reports of the incident on Saturday. Two ambulances and an air ambulance were sent to the scene.
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.
It is understood that staff fired gas canisters to frighten the tiger back into its enclosure after the attack. A black screen has since been put up around the enclosure.
The wildlife park, near Doncaster, was evacuated and will remain closed for the rest of Saturday and throughout Sunday.
Video footage shared online appears to show a man in a black sweatshirt kneeling on the ground with his arms outstretched as the tiger attacks him from behind.
The animal bites the man on the back before mauling him on the ground and standing over him.
The unidentified man then points at the tiger and can be heard repeatedly shouting: “Stop.”
A police car pictured at Yorkshire Wildlife Park after a man was mauled by a tiger in its enclosure
Visitors were evacuated by staff before the park was closed for the remainder of the day
In a second video, the tiger appears to play with the man, using its paws to hold him against the ground.
Witness Dominic Ford, who was visiting the park with his four-year-old niece, said staff instructed them to leave. He described the employees as appearing “calm” during the evacuation.
Mr Ford said an air ambulance, a road ambulance and “a hell of a lot of police” attended the wildlife park.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed that a “serious incident” had taken place at the tiger enclosure.
In a statement, the park said: “Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene.
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“We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened.”
The statement added: “The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority. The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.”
The incident took place at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon, leaving 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