Man dead, tiger spared after habitat violation at UK zoo

A man who entered a tiger enclosure at a zoo in England on October 10 has died, local authorities said.

South Yorkshire Police said in a statement that the unnamed man entered the Yorkshire Wildlife Park grounds at around 1:35 p.m. local time. He was then attacked and pronounced dead at the scene.

The tiger did not escape the enclosure and does not pose a threat to the public, the statement said. The Wildlife Park said in an Oct. 11 statement that the tiger, named Altai, would not be euthanized and that the park was closed following the incident.

“Many people have contacted us about the Altai, the tiger,” we read in the press release. “We can reassure everyone that he is in good health and will not be euthanased (sic) as a result of this incident.”

Authorities said the man’s family was aware of the attack and “was supported by specialist officers”.

Ed Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary and MP for Doncaster North, which includes the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, said in a statement posted on Facebook that he was “deeply saddened to hear of the incident” and “very grateful to the emergency services and park staff who responded.”

The department said it was “aware” of videos of the incident circulating online and asked the public not to share them.