The family of a man killed by a tiger at a British wildlife park has urged people to stop sharing footage of the attack, saying it was causing them severe distress, after US President Donald Trump posted a video of the incident on social media.
Trump shared footage of the fatal attack on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, writing “don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT”. He later posted an apparently AI-generated video depicting himself taming a tiger and then playing with it.
William Chapman died on Saturday after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in northern England. The 23-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing ... severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this,” Chapman’s family said in a statement on Tuesday reported by British media.
The family described Chapman as a “bright, warm and engaging young man” who had suffered from significant mental illness for several years. They said it was for the coroner to determine whether his medical history played a role in his death.
The park said the tiger, an endangered Amur tiger named Altai, would not be euthanised.
Local authorities have launched a health and safety investigation. The park remains closed.