Family statement reveals Chapman suffered significant mental illness
William Chapman, 23, was mauled to death on Saturday after entering an Amur (Siberian) tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. In a statement released Tuesday evening, his family said the publication and circulation of “deeply offensive” online footage was causing them “severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time” and asked the public to stop sharing it. “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 statement said.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reposted a clip of the tiger attack to his Truth Social account, where his posts reach roughly 13 million followers. The footage showed the tiger biting and clawing Chapman as he sat in the enclosure; at one point in the clip, Chapman wags his finger at the animal. Trump signed the post with the words “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.” The clip did not show Chapman being killed. The president later shared a separate AI-generated video in which Trump appears grinning and play-fighting with the tiger while the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens plays. The AI video features Trump copying the pointing gesture Chapman made toward the animal and ends with Trump and the tiger hugging.
In their statement, Chapman’s relatives said they were “utterly devastated” by the loss. “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,” the family said.
Chapman had been a childhood television performer. According to IMDb, he appeared in ITV’s 2009 comedy drama “May Contain Nuts” and in BBC Learning’s “True Stories” series. The Jackie Palmer stage school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where Chapman trained as a child, said on Facebook it was “deeply saddened” by Chapman’s death, adding: “We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer. It was a privilege to be part of his journey, and he will be remembered with great fondness by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.” The school added: “William will be truly missed, and he will always hold a special place in our hearts. Rest in peace, William.”
The wildlife park said the tiger, called Altai, will not be euthanised. The park has remained closed since the weekend. Doncaster city council, which licenses the park, said it had begun a health and safety investigation. An inquest is due to open at Doncaster coroner’s court on Thursday morning.