William Chapman, a former child actor in Britain, died on Saturday, October 10, after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near the English city of Doncaster. The incident drew renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump posted a video of the attack on his social media platform, Truth Social.
According to South Yorkshire Police, emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 1:30 p.m., and Chapman’s death was confirmed there. He was visiting the park alone. At an initial inquest hearing held on Thursday, it was stated that Chapman had crossed two fences and entered the enclosure of an Amur tiger named “Altai.” A preliminary medical examination indicates that he died from multiple severe injuries sustained in the encounter with the animal.
During his childhood, Chapman appeared in several British television productions, including the ITV television film May Contain Nuts and the BBC-produced series True Stories. He was also a former student of the Jackie Palmer Stage School in England.
On Tuesday, October 13, Trump posted the original video of the tiger’s attack on Chapman to his Truth Social account, captioning it: “Never mess with nature.” The video shows the moments when the tiger attacks Chapman, but his death is not shown. The video’s publication drew negative reactions, with critics describing the reposting of such graphic footage as insensitive and disrespectful to the victim.
After posting the original video, Trump also reposted another clip featuring a compilation of lions and other big cats attacking people. Media reviews found that some scenes in the compilation had been generated using artificial intelligence.
He then posted another AI-generated video showing himself in a staged, friendly encounter with a tiger. In the clip, Trump plays with the tiger and hugs it at the end, while the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays. The video also drew criticism, with some critics describing it as mocking Chapman’s death and an inappropriate response to a fatal incident.
Reviews of reports published on Wednesday, October 14, indicated that the original attack video was still visible on Trump’s account and had not been removed by that time.
Doncaster City Council has launched a safety review of the incident. At the inquest hearing, it was also stated that Chapman had experienced serious mental health problems in previous years and had been receiving medication. However, the possible role of his health condition in the incident remains unclear.
Park officials have said that Altai is alive and healthy and will not be put down. The full inquest into Chapman’s death is scheduled for March 18, 2027.
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