Witnesses screamed at man to 'play dead' before he was mauled to death by tiger at Yorkshire zoo - as health and safety probe is launched

A man who was mauled to death by a tiger at a Yorkshire zoo was told to 'play dead' in a bid to survive, witnesses have said.

Desperate onlookers at Yorkshire Wildlife Park frantically screamed at the man to lay still after he climbed into the big cat's enclosure and was attacked at about 1.30pm on October 10.

Moments before the attack, the man, who was reported to be alone and dancing to music in his headphones, had asked visitors to take a picture with the 200kg male Siberian tiger, Altai.

He is believed to have climbed into the enclosure where he began 'praying and bowing' on all fours in front of the animal.

When the tiger attacked, the man screamed 'stop' several times and appeared to make a gesture for 'bad' in sign language system Makaton.

Witnesses said he told the tiger to 'stop being naughty' and appeared as if he was 'in a trance' and 'not attached to reality'.

Police and ambulance services rushed to the park as staff evacuated visitors but he was pronounced dead. 

The licensing authority for Yorkshire Wildlife Park, City of Doncaster Council, has now launched a health and safety investigation into the man's death. 

Dan Swaine, Executive Director of Place at City of Doncaster Council, confirmed a probe will be launched in line with the the council's statutory duties. 

Mr Swaine said the council is working with multiple bodies - including the police and health agencies - and are supporting the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in response to the incident.

'At this time, we won't be commenting further on the individual or the investigation and we ask that the privacy of those involved is respected at this difficult time,' he added.

Although animal attacks are rare, public safety remains an 'integral part' of regulations at zoos across the UK, with experts warning that visitors' unpredictable behaviour cannot be eliminated.

Dr Campbell Murn, a former member of the government's expert committee for zoos, said tighter regulations could help reduce the risk of future attacks.

'There's an enormous amount of effort that goes into the securing of public safety for people who are visiting zoos, in addition to the weight that's given to animal welfare in those settings as well,' he said.

Mr Murn said zoos across the UK regularly undergo safety inspections to ensure enclosures are in line with the Secretary of State's standards of modern zoo practice. 

He added: 'There's a lot more extensive safety systems involved with dangerous wild animals.

'There's very clear standards that indicate the size and height of particular enclosures for dangerous wild animals.'

Despite the effort that goes into designing elaborate enclosures, 'if they really want to get in, they're going to find a way,' he said.

'It seems that in this case it was not possible to get there before the visitor was injured and subsequently died.'

He said that staff receive emergency response training in the event of an animal attack.

'Their training is updated regularly, and they have immediately known and very rapid protocols to respond to emergency incidences, whether it's an escape in the zoo or whether in very rare situations like this.'

But Mr Durn said he would 'strongly support' the additional strengthening of zoo safety regulations. 

Dr Paul Rose, a member of the UK Zoos Expert Committee (ZEC) said zoos do consider risks linked to visitors' unpredictable behaviour. 

'Public behaviour can be unpredictable as we all know,' he said.

'There will be mitigation in place, such as high fencing, stand-off barriers, signage and explanation and a code of conduct for how to behave at the zoo – and for visitors to take responsibility for their actions.

'Risk assessments will also be undertaken regularly. However, a risk of unusual human behaviour will always remain.'

Following the attack, Tiger King star Carole Baskin shared her condolences to the man's family but insisted the tiger was not at fault.

'The tiger was not doing anything wrong by being a tiger. I am relieved to hear that the animal was not harmed,' Ms Baskin, who starred in the hit show alongside the Joe Exotic, told the New York Post in a written statement.

'We don't yet know all the circumstances that led to this man's death, and it would be wrong to speculate,' she said.

'What we do know is that a tiger is a powerful wild predator, and no amount of captivity, training, or familiarity can change that.'

Baskin, who is the CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, added that the tragedy is a reminder that big cats should belong 'in the wild.'

 A woman who lives near the park has since accused people on social media of 'caring more about the tiger' than the man who was savaged to death.

Angela Seivewright went to lay flowers at the gate of Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which remained closed on Monday after the man's death.

The mother said she had been 'really bullied' on social media after she wrote that she 'hoped the person was OK', with users responding that they thought the man who is believed to be in his 20s 'deserved to die'.

'It just felt it was really unfair that people were almost wishing him to die as opposed to not wanting anybody to be hurt,' she said.

'I have a special needs child and I think he was doing sign language to the tiger,' she added. 

'It was really upsetting. My daughter goes to school next door and we live around the corner. And I just thought there would be way more flowers here.'  

Ms Seivewright said she had a season ticket to the park, which remains closed today as investigations continue, but added: 'I don't know if I would support them again.

'I just don't know if they took every opportunity to save him, his life, as opposed to maybe doing something to the tiger.

'I think it's a bit of an indictment on the community in terms that people seem to care more about the tiger. It just feels a bit sad that his death is not mourned more.'

Ms Seivewright continued: 'It just seems that making additional needs a priority - it's a bit of a tick-box exercise.

'What mitigations did they have in place if they saw somebody with additional needs on his own near a dangerous animal?'

'Without wishing things bad on the tiger, in my mind, a human is a sentient being. I love cats. I've got five of them. And I love animals.

'But I would have thought people would have been more compassionate with somebody dying in such an awful way who lacks capacity and who is vulnerable.'  

Far Rehman shared a similar view on Facebook, writing: 'I am surprised at all the nasty comments, and the level of ignorance. The man who jumped in clearly has learning disabilities and appears to show features of an autistic person. 

'It's just a very unfortunate tragedy which could have been avoided if this man was appropriately supervised. Who knows what the situation was but please let us not judge and show some sensitivity and respect for this man and his family at this difficult time.'

The Daily Mail saw comments that referred to the man as a 'b***end' and said the tiger should eat him, with many others sharing their condolences with the tiger over the victim. 

Councillor Steve Cox, who represents the Finningley ward covering the wildlife park, said: 'I really feel for the staff, they've got protocols they have to go through. It's really sad, but I'm sure everybody did what they could.'

Doncaster's deputy civic mayor Councillor Nick Allen, who represents a nearby ward, also said: 'We don't know all the circumstances yet and the speculation online is obviously upsetting and unneeded.'

The wildlife park was set to reopen on Monday after the incident which saw the park evacuated and closed for the weekend. 

But in a message sent to ticketholders on Monday morning, the park said: 'Due to the serious incident that occurred at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday, the 10th of October, unfortunately the park remains closed for the whole of Monday, the 12th October.

'Anyone with a booking for this date will be contacted within the next five working days with details of how to reschedule your booking.

'We apologise for the late notice and any inconvenience caused.'

In a previous statement on social media, the wildlife park said 'many, many people' had contacted them about Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the incident, and it confirmed he is 'safe and well' and will not be euthanised.

It added that members of park staff were 'deeply affected' by the incident and receiving specialist support.

Videos circulating online appear to show a man being pawed at and grappled by Altai in the tiger enclosure at the park.

In another, it appears the voice of the as-yet-unidentified man can be heard asking people to take a photo of him with the tiger before the incident took place.

South Yorkshire Police said it is aware of the footage of the attack online and asked people not to share it.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, with the Land of the Tigers attraction opening in 2011.

The attraction is a purpose-built, two-acre reserve for Amur tigers, an endangered subspecies with around 500 left in the wild.

Photos of the enclosure on the park's website show a high walkway for visitors and fencing above the section where the tigers can roam.