Man dies after climbing into tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

A man entered the enclosure of a Siberian tiger named Altair at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday and was fatally attacked. Witnesses said the visitor was walking around the park with headphones and asked a by-stander to take a photo of him with the tiger. He later climbed a 15-foot fence despite a woman attempting to stop him. Once inside the enclosure, he knelt on the ground and spread his arms toward the tiger, reportedly saying, "Come here tiger. Kill me," before the animal lunged at him. The tiger seized the man's neck, and staff quickly fired two warning shots into the ground, which caused the tiger to retreat. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Altair was unharmed and will not be euthanized, park officials said. The park closed for the remainder of the weekend and erected a barrier around the enclosure while authorities investigate. "We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened. The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority," the park said in a statement.