Yorkshire Wildlife Park to reopen after tiger attack

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is to reopen on Friday after a man was killed by a tiger.

A post-mortem examination found William Chapman, 24, died from multiple traumatic injuries after entering the tiger enclosure at the park on Saturday.

The park said in a statement: "Yorkshire Wildlife Park will reopen tomorrow (Friday) following the tragic incident that occurred at the park on Saturday.

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"Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family, friends and loved ones of William Chapman who sadly lost his life.

"The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff team and animals remain our highest priority.

"We would like to thank all the people who have emailed, commented on our social media or contacted us with messages of support and love for our team at this time."

The park added that "many people also 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".

The park, including Land Of The Tiger, reopens to visitors following engagement with the relevant authorities, the statement said.

An inquest into Mr Chapman's death heard he had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered bouts of psychosis.

The inquest heard that his family have expressed concerns about his contact with mental health services before his death.

The statement from the park added: "As we welcome visitors back, we would ask everyone to be understanding and respectful towards our staff team, who have shown tremendous professionalism and dedication during an exceptionally difficult time.

"We are providing specialist trauma support and ongoing care for those affected. As enquiries remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on circumstances at this time.

"We would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and support during this difficult period, and we look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Park."

(c) Sky News 2026: Yorkshire Wildlife Park to reopen after tiger attack