William Chapman, who appeared in shows on the BBC and ITV, died after entering the tiger enclosure on Saturday. Investigators have not established why.
William Chapman, the man who died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, was a former child actor who appeared in BBC and ITV productions, the BBC has reported. Emergency services were called shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday 10 October, when police said he entered the enclosure while visiting the park alone. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Times reported that he was 24 and from Buckinghamshire, though the BBC’s account says only that he was in his 20s.
His television career
According to the BBC, and backed up by the IMDb database, Mr Chapman appeared in the ITV production May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson, best known for playing Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films. He also played the young Edward Jenner in the BBC series True Stories.
What witnesses and footage show
Footage that began circulating online appears to show a man being pawed at and grappled by the tiger, Altai. In another clip, a voice that appears to be Mr Chapman’s asks people to take a photo of him with the tiger minutes before the incident. A short clip, apparently filmed by Mr Chapman himself, was posted on an Instagram account that has since been deleted. It shows the large animal lying on a wooden platform a few metres away. The person filming can be heard breathing heavily, while distant voices shout “Oh my God” and “seriously”.
According to eyewitness accounts, he climbed over the visitor barriers and dropped into the enclosure from a height of about 15 feet (4.6 metres). A woman visiting with her children reportedly tried to stop him, and other visitors shouted warnings. Witnesses reportedly said he was carrying a Bible and a crossbow, and some described him praying, dancing and making dramatic gestures towards the animal. These accounts are unverified. Investigators have not said what they mean, and there is no confirmed explanation for why he entered the enclosure.
Park staff reportedly used deterrents against the tiger, and witnesses described hearing loud bangs. The tiger retreated, which allowed emergency personnel to reach the area. An air ambulance was among the resources sent. The exact equipment used and the full sequence of the response have not been officially set out.
The investigation
City of Doncaster Council confirmed on 12 October that it had opened a health and safety investigation. It licenses the park and is working with South Yorkshire Police and other agencies. Investigators will need to establish how Mr Chapman got past the safety barriers and whether the enclosure met the applicable zoo safety requirements. A file has reportedly been referred to Doncaster Coroners Court. No finding of negligence or breach of safety rules has been announced.
South Yorkshire Police has asked people not to share recordings of the attack. Reports indicate that AI-generated or manipulated material has also appeared online. The force has urged the public to respect Mr Chapman’s family, who have been told and are being supported by specialist officers. Park staff affected by the incident are also receiving specialist support.
Calls for a review
The Born Free Foundation has called for an urgent examination of how Mr Chapman gained access to the enclosure. Its co-founder, Will Travers, expressed sympathy on 13 October for Mr Chapman’s family, the witnesses and the emergency responders. He also stressed that the tiger “had been placed in the situation through no fault of its own”. The park has confirmed that Altai will not be euthanised.
Dr Campbell Murn, a zoologist at the University of Reading and a former member of Defra’s Zoos Expert Committee, said on 12 October that big cats fall into the highest-risk category of zoo animals. UK standards, he said, require secure primary barriers and additional stand-off barriers between visitors and dangerous animals, as well as practised emergency procedures. Even carefully designed barriers cannot be guaranteed to stop every determined attempt to get in, he said, and incidents like this are extremely rare in British zoos. His comments do not show that the park breached any requirement.
The Guardian examined safety at English zoos on 12 October, comparing this death with an incident in June 2026 in which a three-year-old boy was seriously injured at a Cambridgeshire zoo after reportedly being thrown into a crocodile enclosure. The two events are not known to be linked.
The park and the tiger
Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009, and its Land of the Tigers followed in 2011. The two-acre habitat is viewed from an elevated walkway of about 300 metres and houses Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, an endangered subspecies. Altai is reportedly five years old, came from Norway and weighs about 190kg.
The park has been closed since Saturday and will stay shut on Wednesday 14 October, its fifth day. The adjoining Yorkshire Hive shopping and leisure area remains open. Visitors with affected bookings have been told they will receive rescheduling information. No reopening date has been set.
