William Chapman, the man killed by tiger at Yorkshire zoo had schizophrenia, inquest told

The man killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park had schizophrenia and experienced episodes of psychosis, an inquest heard on Thursday.

According to The Guardian, William Harry Bruce Chapman, 24, died on Saturday after entering a Siberian tiger enclosure at the wildlife park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

The inquest heard that Chapman climbed over two fences at around 1:30 PM before encountering Altai, a 200 kg male tiger.

He suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Despite his diagnosis, Chapman was described as “highly functioning and independent with no care requirements”.

His family raised concerns about his contact with mental health services before his death. The NHS trust responsible for his care has launched an investigation.

Chapman's family also condemned the circulation of footage showing the attack, including a video shared by US President Donald Trump.

They described the footage as “deeply offensive” and said it was causing them “severe distress”.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed that Altai would not be euthanised and that staff were receiving specialist support.

A full inquest into Chapman's death is scheduled for 18 March 2027.