Man attacked by tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

A man has been seriously injured after being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, police have said.

South Yorkshire Police said it was called at 13:35 BST to reports of a man entering the tiger enclosure at the attraction near Doncaster.

In a statement posted on its website, the park said its emergency response procedures had been "immediately activated" and it was "working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened".

The park will remain closed for the remainder of the weekend, it added.

The force has confirmed the tiger "attacked the man and this has resulted in serious injury".

Officers were attempting to contact his family, it said.

"The tiger remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public," the force added.

The park was evacuated following the incident and officers remain at the scene.

Police have urged people not to share "distressing footage" of the incident.

Karmelle Pelham, 39, from Worksop, was on a family day out when staff told them the park was being evacuated.

"We were in a lemur enclosure and somebody asked us to start leaving," she said. "Then, all of a sudden, we were being ushered further and further into the park."

Pelham said she had then heard what sounded like several gunshots.

"Then we saw a helicopter circling. That's when we started thinking, 'Oh, something's happened'."

She added: "There was big black tarpaulin over the tiger enclosure."

Pelham praised park staff for their handling of the incident.

"Nobody was really panicked," she said. "It was all very, very well organised. They did a great job of getting us out without panicking anyone."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed it had deployed an air ambulance, two land ambulances and a doctor.

The park said the safety and wellbeing of its visitors, staff and animals "remain our highest priority".

Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in April 2009 and its tiger enclosure opened in 2011.

Known as Land of the Tigers, it is described on the park website as an area where the big cats can roam woodlands and grasslands or play in a waterfall pool.

The park's other animals include lions, leopards, cheetahs, polar bears, brown bears and sea lions.

The BBC has contacted the park for further details.

Additional reporting by James Kelly

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