'The last thing we saw was the tiger's jaw on his neck': witnesses frozen in horror as Yorkshire Wildlife Park man leapt to his death
Altai, the five-year-old Amur tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park whose fatal mauling of a man in his 20s on Saturday has shocked witnesses, has been confirmed by the park as "safe and well" and will not be euthanised.Yorkshire Wildlife Park, where Altai the Amur tiger is confirmed safe and will not be euthanised, remains closed for a third consecutive day as South Yorkshire Police continue their enquiries.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster has stayed shut for a third consecutive day after a man in his early 20s was killed by a 30-stone Siberian tiger named Altai on Saturday. The man fell into the enclosure from an elevated walkway, and witnesses say he had stopped to pose for a photograph beside the tiger before jumping in, pushing away a woman who tried to pull him back. The City of Doncaster Council, which holds licensing authority over the park, has launched a formal health and safety investigation.
Accounts now suggest the man had been at the park on his own; eyewitnesses described him appearing to be 'in a trance', bowing and praying before spreading his arms wide as Altai attacked.
Neighbour Angela Seivewright, who left flowers at the gate, said she believes the victim had additional needs and was 'really upset' by online comments suggesting 'he deserved to die'.
Animal rights campaigner Carole Baskin, of Tiger King fame, defended the tiger, saying it 'did nothing wrong by being a tiger' and was 'not harmed' in the incident.
