The man who was mauled to death by a tiger in Yorkshire asked someone to take his photo before he jumped into the animal’s enclosure. Del Taylor was on the viewing platform at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday when she was approached by the unnamed man, she told The Sun. She told the outlet that he asked her: “Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?” Del ten took the man’s phone while he posed with the Siberian tiger in the background.
Footage taken by her partner captured the man laughing as he asked for “one more, one more, one more”. He then said: “Thank you, lady.”
The couple then walked away, and moments later, the man climbed over the barrier and jumped into the enclosure. Del told the outlet: “He was completely alone.
“At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me. My partner was recording the tiger and you can hear me having this interaction.
“You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure. I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him.”
Another visitor at the park is said to have tried to haul the victim back onto the viewing bridge, but he “pulled away from her” and jumped into the enclosure, another witness claimed.
They told the Mirror that the woman “wasn’t strong enough” to hold the unnamed man back, and so he “pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft” into the pen. He then “knelt in front of the tiger”, they added.
The witness said: “But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling, ‘No’, and the tiger grabbed him by the neck.
“It all happened very fast. The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man.”
The man was reportedly dancing with his mobile phone and wearing Apple AirPods before he scaled the fence. Eyewitnesses said he posed for a photo with Altai the Amur tiger in the background just moments before leaping from a viewing platform.
Rangers who fired warning shots and “did everything they could” to stop the horror have been offered “specialist support”.
Keepers managed to frighten away Altai by firing gas-powered acoustic guns into the air, causing him to retreat to a nearby shelter. The big cat was quickly secured, but the man was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said: “We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday’s] tragic incident.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life. The park will be closed while the staff team who were deeply affected by events receive specialist support.
“Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”