The judicial inquiry revealed that 24-year-old William Chapman died of “multiple traumas” after entering a tiger’s enclosure in Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The young man had a history of schizophrenia and the family criticized the British mental health services accompanying him.
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15/10/2026
by
News to Minutes
O a man who was attacked by a tiger after entering the forbidden enclosure of a zoo in England, died due to “multiple traumas,” it was revealed in a court hearing.
The incident, underlines itself, happened when the man, identified as 24-year-old William Chapman, visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park outside Doncaster and entered the tiger enclosure.
At the time, the establishment confirmed the occurrence of a “serious incident” and later that the man had died on the spot.
The opening of an inquiry was then ordered, which indicated that the cause of death was “multiple trauma and interaction with an animal”.
It was also revealed that Chapman had a history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia and previous episodes of psychosis.
Chapman was accompanied by mental health services for adults in Doncaster, but, according to the survey, he was “highly functional and independent, no need for care”.
Caitlin Brookes, responsible for legal inquiries, stated that the family had expressed “several concerns” regarding Chapman’s contact with mental health services at Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust, an entity of the British National Health Service. Following death, the health entity opened an internal investigation.
“The tiger approached him and the physical contact that followed between the animal and Mr Chapman caused him multiple traumas, which quickly led to his death,” said Brookes.
The incident occurred early Saturday afternoon and led to the evacuation of the wildlife park, which is still closed.