Family of UK man killed by tiger urges end to video sharing after Trump post

The family of William Chapman, a 23-year-old man killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England, urged people on Tuesday to stop sharing footage of the attack. US President Donald Trump posted the video on Truth Social, and the family said the content is causing them severe distress.

What happened to William Chapman at Yorkshire Wildlife Park?

Chapman entered a male Amur tiger's enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, on Saturday while visiting alone. He was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called. It remains unclear how he entered the enclosure, and the park stayed closed for a fifth day on Wednesday.

According to videos posted online, Chapman appeared to have filmed the inside of the enclosure with his phone, as well as the moment he approached the tiger. Visitors also filmed the incident from a raised 300-meter (985-foot) walkway that looks down on the park's "Land of the Tigers" feature.

The walkway lets visitors view the park's Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, in an enclosure with woodland, grassland and a waterfall pool. Only around 500 of the endangered subspecies are estimated to remain in the wild. The park said the tiger involved, called Atai, is safe and well and will not be put down.

An inquest into Chapman's death is due to open on Thursday in Doncaster.

What did the family of the man killed by a tiger say?

In an online tribute late Tuesday, the family described Chapman as a "bright, warm and engaging young man" who had suffered from "significant mental illness over a number of years." They also questioned whether the strong medication he was prescribed may have played a role in the incident.

"The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened," they said.

"The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this."

What did Trump post about the tiger attack?

Trump posted a 41-second clip of Chapman being fatally mauled by the male Amur tiger to his 13 million followers on Truth Social on Tuesday. He captioned it "Don't ever mess with nature!" The White House's "Rapid Response 47" account on X later shared the clip.

Trump then followed it with a video of apparently AI-generated visuals of individuals being mauled by big cats. Later Tuesday, he posted an AI-generated video of himself wrestling and befriending a smiling tiger, set to the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

The posts drew a backlash on social media. Users on X, where the "Rapid Response 47" account has 2.3 million followers, questioned the president's judgment, and one called the post "sick." Another wrote: "I'm a big supporter but not a fan of this post. To each his own."