The family of William Chapman, a 23-year-old man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park in England, has asked people to stop sharing footage of the attack after US President Donald Trump reposted a video of the incident online.
Chapman died on Saturday, October 10, after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster. His family said the circulation of videos showing the attack was causing them serious pain as they tried to cope with his death.
In a statement released on Tuesday, his relatives described the footage as “deeply offensive” and said it was causing them “severe distress”. The appeal came after Trump shared a clip of the attack with his followers on Truth Social.
William Chapman’s family asks people to stop sharing videos
Deep Dive
Why did William Chapman’s family ask people to stop sharing the tiger attack footage?
What did Donald Trump’s AI-generated video of the Yorkshire tiger attack show?
What investigation is taking place after William Chapman’s death at Yorkshire Wildlife Park?
In their statement, Chapman’s relatives said they were struggling to come to terms with his death and asked the public to respect their privacy.
“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. 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.
{{/usCountry}}“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. 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.
{{/usCountry}}“The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their upmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did.”
The family also spoke about Chapman’s life and the mental health struggles he had faced over several years.
“William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back. Sadly, William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication.
“It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death.
“We would ask everybody to respect that process.”
Also Read: Trump shares graphic animal attack videos, some of them AI-generated: ‘Don’t ever mess with nature’
Donald Trump shares tiger attack footage on Truth Social
Trump posted a video of the attack on Tuesday, October 13, to his Truth Social account, which had around 13 million followers, according to The Guardian.
The clip showed the tiger biting and clawing Chapman as he sat inside the enclosure. It did not show his death. Trump accompanied the footage with the caption: “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.”
The US president later shared an AI-generated video showing himself playing with a tiger. The clip copied a pointing gesture Chapman made in the original footage and ended with Trump hugging the animal. It was set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Will Travers, executive president of the Born Free Foundation, criticized the AI-generated video and warned about the risks of presenting close contact with wild animals as entertainment.
He said it was “not only incredibly insensitive”, but also reckless.
“It increases the risk to the lives of humans and captive wild animals,” he said. “Such images and videos can encourage individuals to seek out direct, unrealistic and high-risk contact with captive wild animals.”
Also Read: Tiger that killed man at UK wildlife park will not be euthanised, park confirms
Investigation continues after William Chapman’s death
Chapman entered the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday. The tiger, an Amur tiger named Altai, will not be euthanized, the park has said.
The wildlife park has remained closed since the incident. Doncaster city council, which is responsible for licensing the park, has launched a health and safety investigation.
An inquest into Chapman’s death is due to open at Doncaster coroner’s court on Thursday, October 15. His family has asked the public to respect the process as authorities work to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.