Visitors 'not strong enough' to hold back man who tragically died after jumping into tiger enclosure

The man fatally mauled by a tiger at a Yorkshire wildlife park asked a fellow visitor to photograph him just moments before he climbed into the animal's enclosure. Del Taylor was standing on the viewing platform at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday (October 10) when the unidentified 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 subsequently moved apart, and shortly afterwards, the man clambered 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 tried to pull the man back towards the viewing platform, but he "pulled away from her" and made his way into the enclosure, according to another witness. They stated the woman "wasn't strong enough" to hold back the unnamed individual, and as a result he "pulled away from her, climbed down, and jumped about 12ft" into the area, reports Yorkshire Live . He then "knelt in front of the tiger", they continued. The witness recalled: "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 scaling the barrier, the man had been dancing while using his mobile device and wearing Apple AirPods. Witnesses reported he captured an image with Altai the Amur tiger visible in the background just moments before dropping from an observation deck. Park staff, who fired warning shots and "did everything they could" to avert the tragedy, have been provided with "specialist support". Staff were able to frighten Altai off 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 later pronounced dead at the scene. Yorkshire Wildlife Park said in 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."