Yorkshire Wildlife Park to remain closed today after man killed by tiger

Yorkshire Wildlife Park will remain closed today (Picture: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire) Yorkshire Wildlife Park will remain closed today as investigations continue into the death of a man attacked by a tiger. Emergency services were called at around 1.30pm on Saturday after a man in his early 20s entered the tiger enclosure and was mauled by the animal. South Yorkshire Police later confirmed that, despite the efforts of responders, he had been pronounced dead at the scene and that his family had been informed. Having been evacuated, the park was initially closed for the weekend and was due to reopen today, a decision that has since been revised. In a message sent to ticketholders this 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. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘Anyone with a booking for this date will be contacted within the next five working days with details of how to reschedule your booking. Altai the tiger, involved in the death of a man, will not be euthanised (Picture: Yorkshire Wildlife Park/SWNS) ‘We apologise for the late notice and any inconvenience caused.’ Yesterday, park organisers responded to concerns about Altai, the five-year-old Amur tiger involved in the fatal incident, and confirmed he is ‘safe and well’. Altai, one of two endangered Amur tigers at the park, will not be euthanised. A statement posted on social media read: ‘We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who sadly 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.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video When he arrived at the park from Norway, Altai was said to be ‘very calm and receptive’. He has been described as a tiger who ‘loves his training, eating, and especially enjoys playing in the water outside’. Videos shared online at the weekend showed Altai grabbing the man while he shouted for it to stop. Other visitors yelled out to try and distract the tiger, but to no avail, while distraction shots fired by rangers eventually got Altai to retreat. After being dragged along the grass by the big cat, the man was seen holding up his little finger – a gesture resembling the word ‘bad’ in Makaton, a form of sign language that combines symbols, signs, and speech to allow people to communicate. Mere moments prior, the supposedly ‘agitated’ man asked another visitor to take a photo of him with the tiger, as heard in videos taken by other members of the public. ‘Excuse me, can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger?’, he requested, asking for ‘one more’ snap three times before saying, ‘Thank you, lady.’ Speaking afterwards, the woman who took his photos revealed he was ‘completely alone’. Police are investigating how a visitor was able to enter the tiger pen (Picture: Charley Atkins/SWNS) Echoing reports that the man was dancing to ‘psych himself up’ before climbing over the fence, Del Taylor told The Sun: ‘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.’ It’s claimed he was ‘grabbed by the throat’ by the tiger almost immediately after climbing over a metre-high viewing barrier and dropping into the enclosure, with other horrified onlookers ‘seeing blood’. Police are currently looking into how the man was able to enter the Land of the Tigers pen. It’s believed that a woman tried to stop him from leaping over the viewing platform, but her efforts weren’t ‘strong enough’. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Boy saved from bear attack after mobile phone exploded as he was mauled by predator Arrow MORE: Families of teens killed in Rotherham crash pay tribute: ‘Nothing will ever be the same’ Arrow MORE: Three people arrested after missing cat’s tail is posted through owner’s letterbox News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.