A man who was mauled to death by a tiger at a Yorkshire zoo had been seen “praying and bowing” on all fours shortly before the fatal attack, witnesses have said.
The victim, understood to have been in his 20s, entered the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park around lunchtime on Saturday. He was then fatally injured by a 30-stone Siberian tiger in front of visiting families.
Several visitors said the man had appeared to be behaving strangely before climbing into the enclosure. Some suggested he may have had learning difficulties or been experiencing mental health problems, although his circumstances have not been confirmed.
Anthony Hunt, 22, a university graduate, and Scarlet Hogan, 21, who works in a pharmacy, first noticed the man as they arrived and parked at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Mr Hunt said: “We saw a guy walking very fast, dancing as he was walking with AirPods in.
“We saw him again, flying past the back of our car and walking quickly. We thought he might have special needs, so we forgot about it.”
The couple later made their way to the tiger enclosure, where they saw the same man behaving erratically once again.
“He was by himself, dancing with his phone out by the canopy. He was just very out of place. We walked past him. Both tigers were on the wooden platform,” Mr Hunt said.
The man was mauled to death by Altai, pictured, a Siberian tiger, after entering the big cat’s enclosure
The scene at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday after a tiger attacked a man who entered its enclosure
Other witnesses said the man climbed over the side of a bridge, prompting a woman to try to pull him back. She reportedly “wasn’t strong enough” to stop him.
He then climbed the tall fence around the enclosure, dropped approximately 12 feet to the ground and walked inside “nonchalantly”, according to accounts from visitors.
Ms Hogan said the tiger’s behaviour changed immediately, with the animal appearing to “go into stalk mode”. The man seemed to take selfies before lying on the ground and “starting to pray”.
“It looked like a performance,” Mr Hunt said. “He got down where everyone could see him in the main viewing area.
“He was on all fours, praying and bowing down to the tiger. It was like he was waiting for the tiger.
“He had his arms wide open, as if he was saying: ‘Come here, tiger. Kill me.’ Then the tiger came and started attacking him.
“He began fighting back and screaming. It was as though he was detached from reality. The last thing we saw was the tiger at his neck.”
Ms Hogan said: “It is very bizarre and weird. He was speaking in a different language while he was praying.”
An air ambulance and police van were seen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday afternoon
Flowers were left by a local resident near the entrance to Yorkshire Wildlife Park
They said the man seemed to be ‘on a mission’, and the ritual he performed near the tiger looked to be ‘religious’.
Mr Hunt concluded: ‘I have never frozen before in my life, but I just froze.’
Footage posted to social media shows Altai clawing and ‘ragdolling’ the man. He screamed ‘stop’ several times, causing the tiger to retreat temporarily, but the animal ultimately acted on its instincts and inflicted fatal injuries.
During the attack, the man also appeared to make a fist and wag his little finger, which has been identified as resembling the gesture for ‘bad’ in Makaton – a sign language system often used by those with communication difficulties.
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Zookeepers were said to have done ‘everything they could’ to drive Altai off, firing five loud acoustic gun blasts in attempts to scare him.
Two ambulances and a helicopter rushed to the park at 1:35pm, with a ‘black screen’ erected around the enclosure as lifesaving treatment was attempted. Tragically, however, the man was later pronounced dead.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which remained closed on Sunday, confirmed that Altai will not be euthanised in the wake of the incident.
Altai arrived at the park in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born
An animal ranger at the zoo, Charlotte Pywell, said: ‘I was not there. I don’t know who the guy was or what made him jump.
‘It was not the tiger’s fault at all. It was just something else to play with. The keepers are all distraught. It was not a very nice day.’
In a statement, the park said: ‘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.
‘We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident.’
A source told the Manchester Evening News on Sunday: ‘Shots were fired into the air to make a noise and distract the tiger. The animal wasn’t shot and is absolutely fine and not injured.
‘The barriers are huge. You would have to really want to get inside the enclosure to be able to do it. From start to end the incident was over within minutes.
‘The keepers did everything they could. It’s horrific.’
Another visitor to the zoo said she saw three female zookeepers sitting on the floor in the wake of the attack, one with her head buried in her hands.
A separate video clip appeared to show the man moments before he entered the enclosure asking fellow parkgoers to take a picture of him with the animal.
He says: ‘Excuse me, can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?’ while Altai lies in the background under a shaded tree, playing with a fallen branch.
A woman agrees and takes a photo, before he asks three times for ‘one more’ picture and then says: ‘Thank you, lady.’
In further footage, just as the tiger makes contact with the man, a woman can be heard saying: ‘I tried to stop him.’
A witness told The Mail on Sunday the man, who had a mobile phone and was wearing AirPods, appeared to ‘psyche himself up’ by performing a ‘dance’ in the spectator area before climbing the fence.
Marie Miller described the attack on Facebook: ‘Twenty minutes before today’s tragic incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park this tiger was sat enjoying the sunshine.
‘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.
‘Tragic for his family. Tragic for the staff who were brilliant but in shock. Thankfully the tiger survived. Thankfully we didn’t see him jump. Thankfully, we didn’t see the young man in the enclosure, we had just left the area.’