A man has died after he climbed into a tiger enclosure at a wildlife park in northern England on Saturday. Police say the tiger attacked him inside the enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near the city of Doncaster.
Emergency medical workers were called to the park after the incident was reported at about 1:35 in the afternoon. They rushed to the scene, but the man was already dead when they got there, South Yorkshire Police said in a statement. The police have not yet said who the man was or what made him go into the enclosure.
The tiger was not hurt and stayed inside its enclosure during the incident, according to the police. The wildlife park was evacuated after the attack. Officers stayed at the scene on Saturday night to carry out their investigation.
In a statement posted on its website, the park said it is working closely with the authorities to find out exactly what happened. The park has not said whether any of its safety systems failed.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park started operations in 2009. Its "Land of the Tigers" attraction opened two years later, in 2011. The area is a two-acre reserve for endangered Amur tigers, which are also known as Siberian tigers. Visitors can watch the big cats from a raised walkway of about 300 yards as they roam through the woodlands and grasslands, or relax in a waterfall pool, the park says on its website.
Incidents like this are rare, but they are a serious reminder of how dangerous big cats can be, even when they are kept in well-built enclosures. Many people in the area are now waiting for more details from the police and the park, and the investigation is still going on.
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