The surprising past of the man killed by a tiger at the zoo revealed

New details have been revealed about William Chapman, who was killed after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Chapman, in his mid-20s, was a child actor and appeared in British TV series. A witness described how he climbed over barriers and entered the enclosure, where he was attacked by the tiger Altai. His family spoke about his struggle with mental illness.

New details have been revealed about William Chapman, the man killed on Saturday after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England. According to the BBC, Chapman, who was in his mid-20s, was a child actor and appeared in several British television productions, including the ITV series "May Contain Nuts" alongside Shirley Henderson, and the BBC series "True Stories." Chapman entered the enclosure around 1:30 PM on Saturday, and was subsequently attacked by Altai, a male Amur tiger. His death was pronounced at the scene. A witness named Ella Ford described seeing him wearing ear defenders and pacing back and forth near the enclosure, before climbing over the barriers. She said he jumped in, crawled in front of the tiger, and lay down there. Chapman's family released a statement describing him as a "brilliant, warm, and captivating young man" and revealed that over the years he had struggled with "significant mental illness" and was receiving strong medication. However, they emphasized that it cannot be determined at this stage whether this is related to his decision to enter the enclosure. The park remains closed as the investigation continues. The wildlife park stated that the tiger Altai will not be euthanized following the attack.