Ambulance trust probes possible unauthorised access to tiger victim's records

Records probe opened

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it had identified two possible incidents in which staff accessed, or attempted to access, medical information about a 24-year-old man killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster. The trust says the concern was uncovered through its proactive audits and that neither access had a legitimate reason. An investigation has started into the circumstances and the actions of the individuals involved. The trust has also reported the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office and says it will keep the man's family informed. The trust's statement stresses that it has robust systems in place to protect patient information.

We believe there may have been two instances involving two members of staff accessing or attempting to access incident/medical information following this incident without a legitimate reason to do so.

The attack at the park

According to evidence heard at the inquest, the man climbed two fences into the enclosure of Altai, an Amur tiger, around 13:30 on Saturday, 10 October. Staff brought the animal under control, but ambulance crews could not save the man and confirmed his death. A first post-mortem examination recorded multiple traumatic injuries as the cause of death. The park, known as YWP, has been closed since the incident.

Inquest and mental health history

An inquest opened on Thursday, 15 October, at Doncaster Coroner's Court. The hearing was told the man had a schizophrenia diagnosis and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis. He was followed by Doncaster adult mental health services, which regarded him as autonomous and functioning correctly, meaning he did not need further care, the court heard. The coroner, Caitlin Brookes, said the family had raised a number of concerns about his contact with those services. The family has described him as a young man who was deeply loved and says he had suffered serious mental illness for several years, with strong medication prescribed. City of Doncaster Council, which licenses the park, is carrying out a health and safety investigation and will share its outcome with the coroner.

Park reopening and online footage

Yorkshire Wildlife Park reopened on Friday, 16 October, six days after the attack, including its Land of the Tiger area. The park confirmed Altai is 'safe and well' and will not be euthanised. It asked the public to be understanding and respectful towards staff, whom it described as having shown tremendous professionalism during an exceptionally difficult time. According to La Libre, Donald Trump shared a video of the attack on Truth Social on Tuesday, 13 October, and later posted an AI-generated sequence in which he appears to play with the tiger before embracing it. The family described the footage of the death circulating online as deeply shocking and said it caused them great distress.