Yorkshire Wildlife Park tiger death: park reopens

Key Takeaways

Chapman's death	William Chapman died on Saturday, Oct. 10, after he entered a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Altai's status	The park said Altai, an Amur tiger who arrived from Norway in February 2025, is safe and will not be euthanized. He remained in the enclosure.
Inquest finding	Doncaster Coroner's Court heard on Thursday, Oct. 15, that he climbed two fences and died of multiple traumatic injuries. A full hearing is set for March 18, 2027.
Park reopens	The park reopened on Friday, Oct. 16, including Land of the Tiger. A BBC video posted on Thursday, Oct. 15, still described the site as closed.

William Chapman died in a Yorkshire Wildlife Park tiger enclosure on Saturday, Oct. 10, and the park near Doncaster reopened on Friday, Oct. 16. South Yorkshire Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene, The Guardian reported. Officers were called at 1:35 p.m., the BBC reported. The park said the Amur tiger, Altai, would not be euthanized.

Police account of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park tiger death

A BBC News video posted on Thursday, Oct. 15, says at 0:07, "A man has entered the tiger enclosure." At 2:24 the narrator says police reported that "a man entered the tiger enclosure and was attacked by the animal, resulting in serious injury," and that he was "pronounced dead at the scene."

The Guardian's account of the police statement matches that. The tiger inflicted "serious injury," stayed in the enclosure, and was uninjured, with no wider risk to the public. Yorkshire Ambulance Service told The Guardian it sent two ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and a doctor.

Visitor Karmelle Pelham told the BBC she heard what sounded like "gunshots." The police statements quoted by The Guardian do not mention shots, so that detail is unconfirmed. Coroner's officer Caitlin Brookes said Chapman climbed two fences at about 1:30 p.m., The Independent reported. The video's captions say 1:31. The BBC's Oct. 10 story puts the police call at 1:35 p.m.

Altai will not be euthanized

The park's Oct. 15 update says Altai is "safe and well and will not be euthanised." Its March 10, 2025 article says he arrived on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, then aged 3, from Dyreparken in Norway. The BBC says he is now five. The captions call him "Alai."

At 8:04 the video says, "There are thought to be only around 500 remaining in the wild." The 2025 article, citing the 2022 IUCN Red List assessment, estimated 265 to 486. The BBC's Oct. 10 story says about 500. The video calls the park a charity. Its site describes the company Yorkshire Wildlife Park Ltd and a separate WildLife Foundation.

The video is right that the park opened in 2009 and, as a BBC explainer says, covers 150 acres and 15 habitats. Its "about 20 minutes outside of Doncaster," and a speaker's "category 1A" label, are not in the police, park, or inquest reports.

What the inquest heard about Chapman

The BBC and The Independent gave his age as 24. The Guardian gave it as 23. The hearing was told he was William Harry Bruce Chapman, born in 2002 in Chichester, living in Doncaster and working as a self-employed online trader, The Independent reported.

Senior coroner Nicola Mundy said he had schizophrenia, previous bouts of psychosis, and a history of mental illness, the BBC reported. He was under Doncaster adult mental health services but "highly functioning and independent with no care requirements." The family raised "a number of concerns" about the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, which had opened an investigation.

The video says the trust would not comment. A spokesperson told the BBC it "cannot comment on William's care," while confirming the family knew of the investigation. The family told The Guardian he was "a bright, warm and engaging young man" who "suffered from significant mental illness" and was "prescribed strong medication." They said the coroner should decide what part that played. Mundy adjourned the case to March 18, 2027.

Brookes said: "He was approached by the tiger and the ensuing physical contact between the tiger and Mr Chapman led to him sustaining multiple traumatic injuries which rapidly led to his death." The BBC gave the provisional cause as "multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction." The Guardian reported the school line the video reads, "We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer." The video's "2012 Bitesize" label is not in the BBC written report, which says the series True Stories.

The park reopens after the video

At 5:57 the video says, "The park remains closed to visitors while affected staff receive specialist support." The Oct. 15 update said the park, including Land of the Tiger, would reopen after "engagement with the relevant authorities." The BBC reported visitors on site on Friday, Oct. 16.

City of Doncaster Council, the licensing authority, opened a health and safety investigation "in line with our statutory duties," executive director Dan Swaine said. It will share the result with the coroner, The Independent reported.

The video calls this the second serious UK enclosure incident in a few months, at a crocodile enclosure "in Cambridge." On Thursday, June 18, a three-year-old was seriously injured at Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon and taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, the BBC reported. Police arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder. Chapman, by contrast, climbed in himself.

A speaker says at 7:25, "I wouldn't call this incident a tiger attack." Police said the tiger stayed inside. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, President Trump reposted footage captioned "Don't ever mess with nature! President DJT," The Guardian reported. He later posted an AI clip. The family called the posts "deeply offensive."

The video also misses a disclosure made on Friday, Oct. 16. Yorkshire Ambulance Service said two staff members may have accessed, or tried to access, information "without a legitimate reason," the BBC reported. The trust told the Information Commissioner's Office and said it would update the family.