According to South Yorkshire Police, a man entered a tiger's enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on October 10. The 5-year-old male Amur tiger named Altai attacked the man which resulted in serious injuries. 

Reports are saying the man climbed over the fence near a high walkway and was met by the endangered tiger. He appeared curious at first but reacted when the man started to shout and point. Visitors were evacuated from the area as emergency crew and staff rushed to help.

Police shared in a press release, "Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The man's family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time." 

Animal lovers were concerned for Altai after this incident and reached out to the UK wildlife park to ensure the tiger wouldn't be harmed. 

The park has been closed since the tragic incident, but they took to Facebook to reassure their supporters that Altai is, "safe and well and will not be euthanized". 

They went on to send their condolences to the man's family. "Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who sadly lost his life." 

Amur Tiger Altai

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are the largest cat species in the world and apex predators. Male can weigh more up to 450 pounds and measure 10 feet long from head to tail.

They are endangered with only 350-500 remaining in the wild, mostly in Russia. They are threatened by poaching, habitat loss, and prey decline. 

Altai arrived at Land of the Tigers in the wildlife park in March of 2025 from Dyreparken, Norway. 

On International Tiger Day, the park shared how they are helping preserve the big cat species. "Through the WildLife Foundation, the charity based here at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, we've proudly supported tiger conservation alongside the WildCats Conservation Alliance. In 2015, the Foundation provided £18,000 to help fund a rescue and rehabilitation centre at Alekseevka in Russia, where injured and orphaned tiger cubs were given a second chance before being released back into the wild."

Why a Tiger Would Attack

"Tigers are territorial. This is a male tiger and the incredible weight and power, there's only one outcome because the tiger is in captivity - the enclosure is its territory and a male who can be scented becomes either competition or prey," Dr. David Sands, a human-companion animal practitioner at the Animal Behavioural Clinic in Chorley, Lancashire told BBC. 

"This is a very big animal that's got the power to bite and break through bones."