Trump Sparks Outrage After Sharing Video of British Man Fatally Mauled by Tiger

Donald Trump has inflamed a grieving British family by posting a video that appears to show actor William Chapman being fatally mauled by a tiger, just days after police and relatives begged the public not to share footage of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park attack.

The former US president uploaded the 41-second clip to his Truth Social account on Tuesday with the caption: 'Don't ever mess with nature! President DJT.' It shows a man inside an enclosure being clawed and bitten by a large cat, although the moment of death is not visible. The original source of the footage could not be independently verified.

Mr Trump later shared a compilation of lions attacking people, set to music and posted without comment. That evening he published an AI-generated video of himself apparently wrestling, then embracing, a tiger.

Family's Plea After Yorkshire Tiger Mauling

William Chapman, believed to be in his 20s, died on Saturday 10 October after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster. South Yorkshire Police said it received reports of a man in the enclosure at 1.35pm. Mr Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family, who said he had 'suffered from significant mental illness,' described him as a 'bright, warm and engaging young man' and said they were 'utterly devastated.' They asked people to stop sharing footage of the attack, saying the spread of 'deeply offensive media content' was causing them 'severe distress.'

Police have also urged the public not to share videos of the incident, citing the impact on the family and the circulation of AI-generated fakes. The park has made a similar appeal.

Park Response and Online Backlash

The tiger, a 200kg male Amur named Altai, was not injured and remained in the enclosure, according to police and the park. Police said there was no wider risk to the public. The park was evacuated and closed.

The park said staff were receiving specialist support and that Altai, a member of an endangered species, would not be euthanised.

Dan Swaine, executive director of place at Doncaster Council, said the authority, as the park's licensing body, had launched a health and safety investigation. It is working with police and health agencies. He declined to comment on the specifics and asked that 'the privacy of those involved is respected.'

The animal welfare charity Born Free has called for an urgent review of how Mr Chapman entered the enclosure and what happened afterwards.

Safety Questions and Expert Views

Experts have cautioned against placing blame solely on the park. Prof Amy Dickman, director of WildCRU at the University of Oxford, said it was 'virtually impossible for zoos to stop people who are very determined to breach safety measures.'

Dr Campbell Murn, a conservation scientist at the University of Reading, likened it to home security, saying risk could be reduced 'to a certain point' but not eliminated.

Tributes to William Chapman

Mr Chapman was a former child actor. According to IMDb, he appeared in the ITV comedy May Contain Nuts, alongside Shirley Henderson, and in the BBC series True Stories.

Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, which he attended as a boy, said it was 'deeply saddened' by his death. In a Facebook tribute it said it had watched him grow 'both as a person and as a performer.'