Man killed by tiger at Yorkshire zoo had schizophrenia, inquest opening hears
A 24-year-old man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, an inquest opening heard. His family raised concerns about his contact with mental health services.
William Chapman, 24, was killed by a tiger on Saturday 10 October at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, after he climbed into the animal's enclosure. At the opening of the inquest at Doncaster coroner's court, his family expressed concerns about his contact with mental health services before his death.
What the hearing was told
Coroner's officer Caitlin Brookes said Chapman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia but was "highly functioning and independent with no care requirements". He was under the care of local mental health services, and his family had raised "a number of concerns" about his contact with them. The Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS foundation trust has launched an investigation.
Chapman was a self-employed online trader living in Doncaster, born in 2002 in Chichester. An initial postmortem found he died from multiple traumatic injuries.
The hearing was told that at about 1.30pm he climbed over two fences and entered the enclosure of a 200kg male Siberian tiger named Altai. Brookes said the tiger approached him and the ensuing physical contact caused injuries that rapidly led to his death. Staff secured the tiger, and paramedics confirmed his death at the scene. Senior coroner Nicola Mundy said her office was waiting for a fuller report on the extent of his injuries.
Family statement
Chapman's family did not attend the hearing, finding things incredibly difficult. They said footage circulating online was "deeply offensive" and caused them "severe distress". US president Donald Trump shared a video of the attack on Tuesday with his 13 million followers on Truth Social, followed by an AI-generated video of himself play fighting with the tiger.
The family described Chapman as a bright, warm and engaging young man who had suffered significant mental illness for years and was prescribed strong medication. As a child he appeared in ITV's 2009 comedy drama May Contain Nuts and in BBC Learning's True Stories.
What happens next
City of Doncaster Council, which licenses the park, is carrying out a health and safety investigation and will share the outcome with the coroner. The park said Altai, a member of an endangered species, would not be euthanised. A full inquest will be held on 18 March next year.
