Yorkshire Wildlife Park will reopen tomorrow, nearly a week after a tiger attacked a man who entered its enclosure.
William Chapman was fatally injured by Altai the tiger last Saturday, prompting the park’s evacuation and closure.
But the park said in an Instagram statement this afternoon that it will open its doors to the public tomorrow ‘following the tragic incident’.
‘Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family, friends and loved ones of William Chapman, who sadly lost his life,’ it said.
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‘The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff team and animals remain our highest priority.’
The park added that Altai, an endangered Amur tiger, which is also known as a Siberian tiger, is ‘safe’ and will not be euthanised.
She will return to her enclosure, a 300-meter-long raised walkway which is part of the park’s ‘Land of the Tigers’.
‘Witness the majestic cats freely roaming their woodlands and grasslands or playing in their very own waterfall pool,’ the park website says.
‘A number of elevated platforms give fantastic views of their tranquil and lush surroundings.’
An inquest opening into William’s death today heard he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which is characterised by delusional thinking and hallucinations.
His provisional cause of death was ‘multiple traumatic injuries’, the coroner said.
Chapman, a self-employed online trader and former child actor, filmed his final moments as he approached the pen.
He asked park-goers to take a photo of him with the feline before entering the pen wearing headphones, witnesses say.
Video posted on social media showed William and Altai, which at one point grabbed and bit him near the middle of his back.
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William could be heard saying, ‘no,’ when the tiger attacked, and appeared to gesture in Makaton, a sign language for people with communication needs.
Park rangers reportedly fired warning shots to drive the 400lb tiger away.
Williams’ family described him as a ‘bright, warm and engaging young man’.
‘The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,’ they added.
Williams’ page on the film database IMDb says he starred as a schoolboy in ITV’s 2009 show May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson.
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