Former child actor William Chapman mauled to death after entering tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

William Chapman, a former child actor, was fatally mauled after entering an Amur (Siberian) tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, according to reporting that names the animal as Altai and says the attack occurred at the park near Doncaster.

Witnesses and video posted minutes before the attack show Chapman approaching the tiger; emergency services arrived after calls were made around 1.30pm and pronounced him dead inside the exhibit.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has said Altai is safe and will not be euthanised, and park staff reportedly fired warning shots in an attempt to deter the animal while the park was evacuated and subsequently closed for several days.

Chapman's family issued a statement saying he had experienced significant mental illness and had been prescribed strong medication, and they asked authorities to investigate why he entered the enclosure. The City of Doncaster Council has launched a health and safety investigation into the incident, the only named public inquiry in the reporting.

Accounts across outlets converge on the core sequence—Chapman walked into the enclosure, approached the tiger and was killed—but they differ in some details reported by individual outlets about his age, his social-media activity and specific witness descriptions.

Media accounts say Chapman had performed as a child actor; one report links his earlier acting roles to work with cast members from the Harry Potter films. Park officials and local authorities are the primary actors handling the immediate aftermath: the park confirmed the tiger will not be put down, and the council's probe will examine safety and operational factors.

Family members have urged investigators to establish why Chapman was able to enter the enclosure; the reporting does not include findings from that inquiry.

At this stage the facts that are documented in multiple outlets are limited to the identity of the tiger (Altai), the park's statement that the animal will not be euthanised, the family's statement about Chapman's mental health and the initiation of a City of Doncaster health and safety investigation.

The accounts include witness descriptions and social-media footage that preceded the attack, but none of the reports in this package contains a finished investigative finding about security failures or legal responsibility.