Why Did William Chapman Jump Into the Tiger Enclosure?

An incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park ended in tragedy when a man jumped into a tiger enclosure and was attacked by a five-year-old Siberian tiger. William Chapman had dropped 15 feet from a raised viewing platform into the habitat, landing on the grass near the big cat named Altai. Moments before the ordeal, he recorded himself approaching the 420-pound animal while shocked visitors watched from above.

Horrified witnesses looked on from the viewing structure as Chapman walked toward the tiger, looking out of breath. The victim posted his footage online shortly before being pinned down by the animal. Additional recordings from onlookers captured him shouting "no, no, no" and "stop, stop, stop, stop, stop" as Altai circled and lunged at him.

William Chapman captured footage inside the tiger's enclosure. Credit: Instagram Visitors described seeing the tiger grab the man by the neck and pull him across the area. Park rangers arrived within minutes, firing two warning shots from a shotgun to startle the predator as staff began evacuating the grounds.