Visitors 'not strong enough' to hold back man who died in tiger enclosure

The man fatally mauled by a tiger in Yorkshire asked a bystander to photograph him just moments before he entered the animal's enclosure. Del Taylor was standing on the viewing platform at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday (October 10) when the unnamed man approached her. She recalled that he asked her: "Can you grab a shot of myself with the tiger? " Del then used the man's phone while he posed with the Siberian tiger visible in the background. Video footage captured by her partner shows the man laughing as he called for "one more, one more, one more". He then said: "Thank you, lady." The pair then moved away, and shortly afterwards, the man climbed over the barrier and entered the enclosure. Del told The Sun: "He was completely alone. At first he was dancing on the bridge overlooking the enclosure. He ended up standing next to me. My partner was recording the tiger and you can hear me having this interaction. You can hear him asking for a photo. I took a couple of him with his back towards the enclosure. I positioned the camera so I could get Altai in it with him." Another visitor to the park reportedly attempted to pull the victim back onto the viewing bridge, but he "pulled away from her" and entered the enclosure, according to a separate witness. They stated that the woman "wasn't strong enough" to restrain the unnamed man, and as a result he "pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft" into the pen, reports Yorkshire Live . He then "knelt in front of the tiger", they added. The witness recounted: "But then the young man started yelling at the tiger and waving his finger at him, yelling, 'No', and the tiger grabbed him by the neck. It all happened very fast. The tiger staff were in there quickly, and fired two shots to the ground to scare the tiger away from the man." Prior to climbing over the barrier, the man had been dancing while using his mobile phone and wearing Apple AirPods. Onlookers reported that he took a photograph with Altai the Amur tiger visible behind him just moments before leaping from an observation platform. Park rangers, who discharged warning shots and "did everything they could" to prevent the tragedy, have since been offered "specialist support". Staff were able to startle Altai by firing gas-powered acoustic guns into the air, causing him to withdraw to a nearby shelter. The big cat was quickly contained, however the man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Yorkshire Wildlife Park issued a statement: "We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following [Saturday's] tragic incident. "Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life. The park will be closed while the staff team who were deeply affected by events receive specialist support. Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident."