Poppy Wood
Washington: US President Donald Trump has shared an AI video in which he wrestles the tiger that killed a British man at a South Yorkshire zoo.
In the clip the US president, in a suit and tie, chases the male tiger and throws him to the ground, before the pair start hugging.
The beginning of the 23-second video mirrors actual footage of William Chapman’s last moments, before he was mauled to death on Saturday.
In the AI clip, which was posted on the president’s Truth Social network on Tuesday (US time), Trump sits on the ground and tries to fend off Altai, the 200-kilogram Siberian tiger, while the animal swipes with its paw.
Trump is seen jumping up and running after the big cat in the faked video. It is set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Trump appears to have taken a keen interest in the tiger attack.
On Tuesday night, the US president shared the actual footage of the attack on his Truth Social platform, showing the moments before Chapman was mauled to death at Yorkshire Wildlife Park at the weekend.
Trump posted the video, which showed a tiger clawing and biting at a man, with the caption: “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.”
One minute after sharing the footage of the actual attack, Trump posted a compilation video of big cats mauling humans. It included an AI-generated video of a lion smashing through the glass of its enclosure to attack a zookeeper.
South Yorkshire Police had asked the public not to share “distressing footage” of Chapman’s death. On Tuesday evening, Chapman’s family revealed their “severe distress” about footage and other content shared online.
Relatives said in a statement issued before Trump’s post: “The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this.”
Emergency services were contacted shortly after 1.30pm on October 10 (UK time) after Chapman climbed into the tiger’s enclosure and was attacked. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards.
Chapman’s family paid tribute to him on Tuesday night, describing him as “bright, warm and engaging”.
In their statement, the family said he had suffered from “significant mental illness” for a number of years and had been prescribed “strong medication”.
“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” the statement continued.
Chapman’s parents said they were “hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did”.
Chapman had posted a video on his Instagram page from inside the enclosure moments before the attack, in which he filmed as he slowly approached the big cat and could be heard breathing heavily.
The Telegraph understands that Chapman was a former child actor who attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, Bucks.
As a child, he appeared in the ITV production May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson – best known for playing Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films – and Darren Boyd. He also portrayed Edward Jenner in the BBC drama series True Stories.
Jackie Palmer Stage School said: “We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer, during his time with us.
“It was a privilege to be part of his journey, and he will be remembered with great fondness by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. William will be truly missed, and he will always hold a special place in our heart.”
In a blog post from 2014, Chapman’s mother described his time at stage school, saying: “He has learnt a great deal in his time there, and whilst he doesn’t enjoy singing and dancing so much now he’s a teenager, he is passionate about acting and drama.”
She recalled that he had auditioned for May Contain Nuts at the age of five, adding: “Over the years he has attended many auditions, and I have a few stories to tell there…
“The most notable one was when he went for the part of Alfie in May Contain Nuts, the ITV two-part drama adaptation of John O’Farrell’s satirical book.”