Man Mauled to Death by Tiger at Zoo Was Seen 'Praying' and 'Bowing' After Jumping Into Enclosure — as Witness Recalls Seeing the Beast's 'Jaw on His Neck'
A man jumped into a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Oct. 13 2026, Updated 1:10 p.m. ET
'The Tiger’s Jaw on His Neck'
The man was seen praying on his knees right before the tiger attacked.
A man was mauled to death by a tiger after entering its enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK on Saturday, October 10, and was seen acting strangely before and after jumping in, RadarOnline.com can report.
"The man started praying to the tiger, bowing down to it – the tiger looked a bit confused," said 21-year-old Scarlet Hogan, who witnessed the scene while taking pictures of the animal. "Up until he got attacked, it was like he was in a trance, not in reality at all."
The man, who has since been identified as William Chapman, had overpowered a mother who tried to pull him back from jumping in. He was seen posing for a photograph with the tiger, Altai, shortly beforehand. Once inside, Chapman was dancing around with his phone in hand, taking photos. Hogan recalled how strange it was when he got on all fours praying.
"He had arms wide open ready for the tiger to attack him," Hogan said. "It was quite bad. We were just stood there, frozen... the last thing we saw was the tiger's jaw on his neck."
Hogan and her boyfriend, Anthony Hunt, had seen Chapman "erratically" dancing earlier in another area of the park. They also recalled the mother telling them she heard him "saying something religious."
A Terrifying Encounter
William Chapman is said to have been trying to take photos with the tiger shortly before and after entering.
Footage of the incident was on social media. Just before Chapman entered, the tiger was relaxed, lying on the grass. Soon after, it approached the man from behind and grabbed the back of his top near the neck, lifting him off the ground. It proceeded to leap towards his right shoulder, swiping its paw and knocking him down.
Videos show Chapman pointing his finger at the Siberian tiger, saying "no, no" and calling out for it to stop. Other witnesses can be heard trying to get the tiger's attention away from him and shouting in distress.
Various Visitors Recall the Victim's Last Interactions
The zoo confirmed the tiger, Altai, remains safe and healthy.
Gunshots were heard when police shot at the ground as a distraction, and then they told Hogan and Hunt that Chapman was dead.
Other visitors remembered his final moments, as Chapman asked a couple of people to take photos of him with the tiger. Del Taylor was one of them, who said he was alone and dancing on the nearby bridge before asking her to take a picture. Marie Miller recounted the same occurrence.
Animal ranger Charlotte Pywell said she doesn't know what possibly triggered the man to jump, but advocated for the tiger who was only provoked.
"It was not the tiger’s fault at all. It was just something else to play with. The keepers are all distraught," she said.
Altai Remains Safe And Alive
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The park remained closed for the rest of the weekend.
The park put a black screen around the enclosure to separate the scene from parkgoers. They closed down for the remainder of the weekend as employees took time to recover.
"We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened. The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority," the park said in a statement.
Yorkshire Wildlife also put people at ease and confirmed Altai would not be euthanized, stating he is safe and well.
