Yorkshire Wildlife Park has confirmed that Altai, the Siberian tiger involved in a fatal incident on Saturday 10 October, will not be euthanised. The announcement came after a man died following an attack inside the animal’s enclosure at the wildlife park near Doncaster, England.
South Yorkshire Police received a report of the incident at 1.35 pm local time. Emergency services, including paramedics, a doctor and an air ambulance, attended the scene, but the man had sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the park.
According to witness accounts reported by The Independent, the man had allegedly asked someone to take a photograph of him with the tiger in the background before entering the enclosure. The newspaper also reported that shots were fired in an attempt to stop the attack.
Investigators have yet to establish how the man crossed the enclosure barriers and why he entered the area.
Altai was unharmed and will remain at the park
Yorkshire Wildlife Park activated its emergency procedures and evacuated visitors following the incident.
Police subsequently confirmed that Altai had remained inside his enclosure throughout the emergency and was unharmed. Authorities also stated that there was no further risk to the public.
On Sunday 11 October, the park addressed the numerous enquiries it had received about the tiger’s future, confirming that Altai would not be euthanised as a consequence of the incident.
The park also expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and announced specialist support for staff members affected by the tragedy.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park remained closed on Sunday 11 October.
Altai arrived in Yorkshire in 2025 as part of a European breeding programme
Altai was born at Dyreparken in Norway and arrived at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on 27 February 2025, when he was three years old.
His transfer was recommended under a European population management programme, with the aim of forming a breeding pair with Tschuna, a female tiger that has lived at the park since 2013.
Both animals belong to the Amur tiger subspecies (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Siberian tiger, which is threatened with extinction.
Police investigations are continuing
South Yorkshire Police are continuing their investigation in cooperation with Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Officers are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the man’s entry into the enclosure and the events that followed.
Specialist officers are supporting the victim’s family, while police have urged members of the public not to share footage of the incident circulating online.
