A man was mauled to death after entering an enclosure holding Siberian tigers at a wildlife park in England. He is believed to have climbed over the fence himself, but it remains unclear why he went inside.
British media including The Telegraph reported that the incident occurred on the afternoon of the 10th at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in England.
After the man entered the tiger enclosure, one of the tigers approached him and soon attacked.
Video circulating online reportedly showed the man sitting on the ground, trying to push the approaching tiger away with his feet. The tiger then bit him on the neck and chest.
An ambulance and an air ambulance were dispatched to the scene after the emergency call, but the man was pronounced dead at the site.
South Yorkshire Police said they received a report at 1:35 p.m. that a man had entered the enclosure and was subsequently attacked by a tiger.
The man's identity and his reason for risking his life to enter the tiger enclosure have not been disclosed.
Local media believe he may have climbed over a tall wire fence to get into the enclosure. Police also believe he entered the area where the tigers live on his own.
Witness accounts followed. The Telegraph reported testimony that gunshots were heard at the time of the incident, along with accounts suggesting a tiger may have been shot. Police, however, officially confirmed that the tiger remained in the enclosure unharmed after the incident.
Another witness told the newspaper that the man jumped into the enclosure and tried to play with the tiger. That account came from a bystander, and police have not officially confirmed his purpose for entering.
The park's "Land of the Tiger" section, where the incident took place, houses endangered Amur tigers. It is designed so that visitors can look down on the animals from an elevated walkway roughly 300 meters long.
The park activated emergency procedures immediately after the incident and evacuated visitors. It then closed and is investigating the exact circumstances together with police.