A man who was fatally mauled at a Yorkshire zoo is believed to have made a hand signal meaning “bad” in an apparent attempt to deter the tiger shortly after entering its enclosure.

The unidentified man died on Saturday afternoon after climbing into the enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, where he was attacked by Altai, a 30-stone Siberian tiger.

Emergency crews, including two ambulances and a helicopter, were called to the park at about 1.35pm. Despite their efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering severe injuries.

The man, thought to have been in his 20s, was filmed being circled by Altai before the tiger pawed at his back and shook him violently.

During the attack, footage appears to show the man raising a clenched fist and wagging his little finger at the tiger. The gesture prompted speculation that he was trying to communicate using Makaton.

Makaton is a communication system separate from British Sign Language. It combines hand signs, symbols, pictures and speech, and is commonly used by people who have difficulty expressing themselves.

Social media users on X quickly suggested the gesture had a specific meaning. One wrote that the man appeared to be “using Makaton there” by pointing his little finger with a clenched fist to signify “bad”.

Another user agreed, saying: “He’s using Makaton signs in the video, ie sticking his pinky up which means ‘bad’.” A third said the man’s “mannerisms and hand signals” appeared consistent with the communication system.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed on Sunday that Altai would not be put down following the fatal incident.

“Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger,” the park said in an updated statement.

“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.”

The development came as video shared online appeared to show the man asking fellow visitors to take a photograph of him with the tiger shortly before the fatal attack.

In a clip posted to X, the man can be heard saying: “Excuse me, can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?” In the background, Altai is lying beneath a shaded tree and playing with a fallen branch.

A woman agrees to take the picture, saying “yeah”, before the recording goes quiet and the man thanks her.

He then asks her for “one more” photograph three times before thanking her again, saying: “Thank you, lady.”

It was only minutes later witnesses watched in horror as the man then climbed into the enclosure, where he was heard crying ‘no, no’ as the tiger launched his attack. 

In further footage, a woman’s voice can be heard saying: ‘I tried to stop him’, while zoo keepers raced to the scene armed with gas-powered acoustic guns, firing five loud, shotgun-like blasts close to the predator in an attempt to drive Altai off.

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.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service sent two road ambulances plus an air ambulance. Paramedics with blood transfusion kits were seen desperately trying to save the victim, but South Yorkshire Police later confirmed he had died from his injuries.

Keepers were later seen wrapping black plastic sheeting around a section of the enclosure to shield it from view.

Police said they received reports at 1.35pm of a man entering the enclosure. A statement said: ‘The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.

‘Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.’

Officers urged people not to share footage of the attack.

The tiger was uninjured and remained in its enclosure, the force added, saying there was no wider risk to the public. 

The park, near Doncaster, said it was working closely with the authorities to establish exactly what happened.

The attraction was evacuated after the attack and will remain shut today. One witness praised staff for remaining calm during the incident.

Altai arrived at the park in February 2025 from Dyreparken Zoo in Norway, where he was born.

A Yorkshire Wildlife Park spokesman said on Saturday night: ‘We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure. 

‘Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated and emergency services attended the scene.

‘We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened. The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority. The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.’

Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land Of The Tigers area opening in 2011. 

It is a purpose-built two-acre reserve for Siberian tigers, an endangered species with around 500 left in the wild. Photos show a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.

The attack comes only four months after a three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile pit by a man in Cambridgeshire.

Were YOU at Yorkshire Wildlife Park? Email caitlin.leng@dailymail.co.uk 

Former president Michael D Higgins and his family have become caught up in a planning dispute over proposals to build dozens of homes immediately beside their Galway residence, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.

If approved, the scheme for 39 houses would surround the Higgins family home in a horseshoe-shaped development.

In a detailed objection, the 84-year-old former president accused the local authority of unnecessarily rezoning land for residential use and putting new development ahead of road safety. Mr Higgins previously heightened political tensions with the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led government when he described Ireland’s housing crisis as a ‘disaster’ and the State’s ‘great, great, great failure’.

The two-term president returned to his Galway city home last November after spending 14 years at Áras an Uachtaráin in the expansive surroundings of Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

His wife, former first lady Sabina Higgins, and their three sons, John, Daniel and Michael, have also submitted objections outlining their concerns about the proposed housing project.

The Higgins family are among 32 local residents who have raised objections to plans for two apartment blocks, along with a row of detached and semi-detached houses, on Galway’s Circular Road.

Mr Higgins and his family stressed that they are not against new homes being built beside their property.

Their objection centres instead on the condition of nearby roads, which they say are already dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. They argue that the proposed development would worsen existing road safety concerns.

The former Labour Party councillor, who later became a Galway TD and served as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht in the Fianna Fáil–Labour coalition led by Taoiseach Albert Reynolds before joining John Bruton’s Rainbow Coalition, has lived in Rahoon with his family since President Catherine Connolly was inaugurated as the country’s First Citizen last November.

In his four-page submission to Galway City Council, Mr Higgins refers to his political career but does not mention his two terms as president.

Instead, he refers to the great welcome he and his wife received after leaving the area ‘14 years ago’ before accusing Galway City Council of serious planning failures.

Mr Higgins’ submission reads: ‘So many people in Galway have sought to make us feel welcome. 

‘It is with a heavy heart, however, that I have to report the experience of a deterioration in even the most basic elements of safety on the road where we and our neighbours live.

‘Circular Road, a narrow country road, as is the neighbouring Letteragh Road, is currently not safe for use by pedestrians, cyclists or users of motor vehicles.

‘There has been a vast increase in the volume of traffic which, when combined with a massive increase in speed on a road that has a school at one end that I know sought to be part of an attempt to encourage non car-dependent attendance at school.’

The planning submission continues: ‘Since I left Letteragh 14 years ago, the failure to achieve a continuous footpath for the road, the failure to initiate a traffic management plan, joined with the absence of a public transport option is an issue so urgent that I cannot understand why planning for safety is not taking precedence in the City Council’s plans.’

In 2022, the then-President Higgins publicly declared that the chronic housing shortage was not just a crisis, but a social disaster.

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Government figures at the time criticised Mr Higgins’s intervention. Some claimed he had ‘overstepped the mark’ given the non-partisan, ceremonial nature of the presidency, but senior figures including then Tánaiste Leo Varadkar acknowledged affordability and housing pressures posed significant challenges.

However, in his planning submission, the former president said that housing – ‘so badly needed by so many’ – should not come at the cost of road safety.

Mr Higgins wrote: ‘I believe that land use planning, including making provisions for housing, so badly needed by so many, should not come at the cost of safe movement on our roads or sustainable planning which has public support.

‘We are not condemned to a binary choice between providing for necessary housing and engaging in appropriate planning. 

‘I suggest that the issues of safe usage and preservation of shared amenity space for the future must be given due to the urgency of the safety issue a prior precedence in planning decisions rather than be made an afterthought of development.’

In a separate 28-page submission, Sabina Higgins said that the family and local residents ‘share a serious concern in relation to the lack of road safety and sustainable transport’ around the site of the proposed development.

It is unclear whether Ms Higgins authored the extensive and professional-looking report herself, or used the services of a planning consultant.

The former first lady’s submission reads: ‘I am also one of the many residents of Circular Road who share a serious concern in relation to the lack of road safety and sustainable transport on that road.

‘For a number of years, members of the public have been calling for action to address road safety on Circular Road and highlighting the need for proper sustainable transport infrastructure including provision for pedestrians, cyclists and a bus route.

‘Because there are no footpaths outside my home or along the road on either side of me and because the yellow line comes up to the edge of the road, I, like many neighbours, cannot leave my home and walk to the left or right. 

‘It is extremely challenging to just safely access the small park directly across the road from me due to speeding traffic and, even if there was enough break in speeding traffic and I succeeded in crossing the road, I cannot walk to the right to reach the footpath above Carn Ard or go to a shop in Westside as old sheds that are part of the farm whose land in (sic) the subject of the planning application block the way.’

After carrying out a report on the city’s transport and road problems, Galway City Council has secured funding from the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority to come up with a detailed plan to improve road safety issues.

It is expected this plan will be ready by the end of the year.

The former president lodged his submission with the council in July, a month after Kenny Developments Galway Limited applied for planning permission to build 39 homes on a site beside his family home. Under the plans, 22 of the new homes would be contained in two blocks, with a further 17 detached and semi-detached houses.

The company applied for planning permission three weeks after local councillors voted unanimously to rezone large tracts of land in Galway city to allow for the construction of up 5,000 new homes.

The plot of land earmarked for the 39 new houses next to Mr Higgins’s family home was not included in the plan as it was already zoned residential.

But neighbouring sites in the Circular Road/Letteragh area were rezoned against the advice of the Planning Regulator.

In a letter sent to the local authority last April, the Office of the Planning Regulator stated: ‘The Office does however have concerns in relation to two newly proposed residential zonings at the Merlin Lands and Circular Road East sites.

‘In particular, the Office considers that the proposed changes from Natural Heritage and Recreation and Amenity zoning would result in the loss of significant strategic open space, without sufficient evidence of need or clear strategic justification. 

‘Accordingly, the Office recommends that neither site be zoned for new residential development through this variation process.’

However, the council disagreed with the Planning Regulator and instead recommended that land close to Mr Higgins’s home be rezoned for housing because it is ‘inaccessible to the public’ and is not suitable for ‘active recreation or sports pitches’ because of ‘granite close to the surface’.

Rezonings can be overturned by the Housing Minister on the advice of the Planning Regulator.

The Mail has received no response to attempts to contact former President Higgins through a spokesperson.

Galway City Council this weekend confirmed it had not been asked to reverse its recent rezonings. A spokeswoman told the MoS: ‘To date we have had no correspondence from the OPR [Office of the Planning Regulator] or the Minister in relation to the Elected Members reserved function to adopt Variation Number 3.’

The local authority claimed that it would not be appropriate to comment on the former president’s criticisms of how the council handles planning and road safety issues.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Planning Regulator confirmed it no longer has concerns about the rezoning of land close to Mr Higgins’ home.

A spokeswoman said: ‘As part of the statutory process, the OPR considers the planning authority’s response to its recommendations. 

‘Having reviewed that response, the OPR is satisfied with the variation to the plan as adopted.’

The reason behind Meghan Markle and Malala Yousafzai’s afternoon tea at Claridge’s has been revealed: the pair are joining forces to mark International Day of the Girl.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and the 29-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner were photographed sharing a warm embrace outside the luxury Mayfair hotel last Wednesday.

The pair reportedly enjoyed a traditional British afternoon tea, with fellow diners saying they ate cucumber sandwiches, scones, jam and clotted cream.

Meghan and Malala announced their partnership in a joint Instagram statement, accompanied by two photographs from their afternoon tea.

The Duchess said she would donate 100 per cent of the net proceeds from sales of her As Ever jams and teas on Sunday to the Malala Fund.

One image shows the women smiling at the camera beside an array of freshly baked cakes, while another captures them holding hands.

Their joint statement said: ‘When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this.’ – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex & Malala Yousafzai.

‘This International Day of the Girl, in partnership with Archewell Philanthropies, 100% of net proceeds from As Ever jams and teas will support Malala Fund and its vital work to ensure that every girl has access to free, safe, quality education.’

‘Tea for Two has never felt so good. Shop at asever.com.’

Meghan and Malala first teamed up in October 2020 for a virtual International Day of the Girl discussion focused on girls’ education.

Founded in 2013, the Malala Fund works to secure 12 years of free, safe and quality education for every girl.

The organisation focuses on areas where girls face serious barriers to education, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania.

The London meeting is believed to have marked Meghan’s first public appearance in the capital since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.

For the occasion, Meghan wore a camel Tove Studio coat priced at £1,695, a £630 wheat-coloured cashmere sweater by Los Angeles-based label CO, and Ralph Lauren’s £1,700 white satin Masina trousers.

She accessorised with a black Chanel handbag worth approximately £7,000 and £795 Saint Laurent ivory and tan ‘Chris’ loafers.

She also wore Logan Hollowell’s Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace, valued at £16,200. The complete outfit was worth slightly more than £28,000.

In a striking contrast to her Chanel arm candy, the Duchess also carried a canvas tote bag featuring a striking design depicting women wearing hijabs.

Months earlier Meghan and Prince Harry were met by some boos as they arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

While the Duchess has transited through Heathrow on several occasions since then, she is understood to have avoided central London during ongoing concerns about her security.

Malala, originally from Pakistan but now living in Birmingham, was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for speaking up about young female schooling and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 – the youngest ever recipient at 17 – before going to Oxford University.

Meghan’s focus over the past week has been on the latest As Ever launches but this latest outing suggests she may be preparing to return to philanthropic work, perhaps in the field of girls’ education, now that she is back in the UK.

Meghan and Malala dined in Claridge’s world-famous Foyer and Reading Room, where afternoon tea costs £95 per person. Champagne is available for £30 more but Malala, a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, and Meghan appeared to stick to tea and mineral water.

Set in the hotel’s famed Art Deco interiors and accompanied by live piano music, it is one of Mayfair’s most exclusive and celebrated dining rooms.

Fellow diners discreetly took photographs of the pair as they chatted animatedly over their meal, according to a hotel insider. The women were polite but barely interacted with other attendees as they were surrounded by protection officers.

The source said they were accompanied by security throughout the visit. Police vehicles were spotted outside Claridge’s during their meet-up, identifiable by their distinctive number plate lights.

The meeting comes amid Harry and Meghan’s ongoing battle to get taxpayer-funded police protection in Britain. 

The couple previously mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge over Harry’s police security while he was visiting from the US. 

It is understood now that the committee overseeing royal and VIP security, known as Ravec, is to reconsider the level of police protection now the couple and their two children are full-time residents. 

Meghan and Malala’s discussion in 2020 came during the Covid pandemic, with Harry also joining the virtual talk on barriers to education for young women. 

Meghan said on the call: ‘When young girls have access to education, everyone wins, and everyone succeeds. It just opens the door for societal success at the highest level.

‘What I had realised very early on was that when women have a seat at the table, conversations in terms of policy change, conversations in terms of legislation and the dynamics of the community are all shifted. 

‘And when you have to see how you get a woman to embrace her voice, you have to start with where she is a young girl.’ 

‘To know there’s over 130million girls out of education right now, before the pandemic, and the numbers are only going to go up, it worries me, and it probably worries all of us, the effect that is going to have not just on the individual, but on the family, and community, for the country and the world at large.

‘I’m hugely grateful for the education I was lucky enough to have; at the time I certainly probably wasn’t as grateful, but looking back at it now, I’m very, very blessed with having such amazing options.’ 

Following their conversation, Malala said of the Duchess: ‘Meghan and I are on the same page: we both believe that when girls have access to education, everyone wins.’