Questions about the mental health support given to a young man killed by a tiger in South Yorkshire took center stage this week, as a coroner began formal proceedings into one of the most shocking incidents in recent British zoo history.
William Chapman, 24, died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday, October 10, 2026. According to The Independent, an inquest into his death opened at Doncaster Coroner’s Court on Thursday, October 15.
There, the court heard that Chapman had lived with schizophrenia and had experienced earlier episodes of psychosis. His family has since asked what contact he had with mental health services in the period before he died. A preliminary post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries.
The events of that Saturday began shortly before 1:35 p.m., when police started receiving calls that a guest was inside the tiger enclosure. Responders reached the Doncaster park within minutes, but could not save him. “Emergency services attended, and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene,” the force said in a statement reported by The Guardian.
“The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers,” police continued. “Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time. Regarding rumors surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident, and there is no wider risk to the public.”
Those rumors had gathered pace as footage moved across social media, appearing to show a man seated on the ground while a tiger attacked him. He seemed to be conscious, gesturing and shouting at the animal. That tiger has been identified as Altai, one of two Amur, or Siberian, tigers housed in Land of the Tigers alongside Tschuna. He was not injured and will not be euthanized.
Land of the Tigers is among the park’s most popular areas. “Take a spectacular walk along the 300-meter-long raised walkway above ‘Land of the Tigers’ for the best views of these magnificent big cats,” the park’s official website writes. “Witness the majestic cats freely roaming their woodlands and grasslands or playing in their very own waterfall pool.”
On the day, staff evacuated every visitor. “We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure. Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene,” the park’s website notice stated. “We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened. The safety and well-being of our visitors, staff, and animals remain our highest priority.”
City of Doncaster Council, the park’s licensing authority, has opened a health and safety investigation and confirmed its findings will go to the coroner. After almost a week of closure, Yorkshire Wildlife Park reopens today, Friday, October 16, saying the decision was reached following discussions with the relevant authorities.
The park, in Branton, opened in 2009 on land that was once a farm and riding school. It has grown into one of the UK’s busiest animal attractions and supports conservation through its charity, the WildLife Foundation, which funds breeding programs and field projects protecting endangered species around the world.
Inside the Magic will share further updates as they become available.
