Wildlife park to reopen for first time since visitor killed in tiger attack

An inquest into his death, which opened on Thursday, heard that Mr Chapman had a history of mental illness and a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

His family expressed concerns about his contact with mental health services leading up to his death.

Mr Chapman had suffered previous bouts of psychosis, the hearing at Doncaster Coroner’s Court was told.

City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for licensing the park, is carrying out a health and safety investigation and said it would share the outcome with the coroner, the hearing was told.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) has confirmed it will reopen on Friday, almost a week after the fatal attack, following “engagement with the relevant authorities”.

In a previous social media statement, the wildlife park said "many, many people" had contacted it about Altai, the Amur tiger involved in the incident, and confirmed he is "safe and well" and will not be euthanised.

On Thursday, the park, which has been closed since the incident, confirmed that it will reopen today, including the "Land of the Tiger" area.

A park spokesman said Altai’s "ongoing welfare at YWP remains a priority of our experienced animal care team".

The spokesman went on to say: "We continue to assist South Yorkshire Police and other relevant agencies with their ongoing enquiries into the circumstances of this tragic incident.

"As we welcome visitors back, we would ask everyone to be understanding and respectful towards our staff team, who have shown tremendous professionalism and dedication during an exceptionally difficult time."

The spokesman continued: "We are providing specialist trauma support and ongoing care for those affected.

"As inquiries remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on circumstances at this time.

"We would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and support during this difficult period, and we look forward to welcoming visitors back to the park."

The inquest heard Mr Chapman was a self-employed online trader who was living in Doncaster at the time of his death.

An initial post-mortem examination found that he had died from multiple traumatic injuries after his encounter with the tiger.

The inquest heard he attended Yorkshire Wildlife Park on October 10, and at about 1.30pm, climbed over two fences and entered the tiger enclosure.

Coroner’s officer Caitlin Brookes said: “He was approached by the tiger and the ensuing physical contact between the tiger and Mr Chapman led to him sustaining multiple traumatic injuries which rapidly led to his death.”

Mr Chapman was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was “highly functioning and independent with no care requirements,” the inquest heard.

Ms Brookes said the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation trust had launched an investigation following Mr Chapman’s death.