The man killed after entering a tiger enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster, England , has been identified locally as William Chapman, per The Guardian. Chapman scaled the fence and entered the enclosure, following which witnesses saw him walking up to a 200kg male Siberian tiger named Altai, which attacked him.
Chapman was a former child actor, AOL reported. He appeared in the ITV production May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson, known for her portrayal of Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films. He also took on the role of a young Edward Jenner in the BBC series True Stories. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with William’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer, during his time with us. 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. “Once on set we were sheltering from the pirates under the ship’s floorboards and we had to be terrified! “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. William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back.”
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former student, William Chapman,” it wrote. Chapman’s mother revealed in the blog that he worked as an extra on Pan, a prequel to the Peter Pan tale starring Hugh Jackman, which proved a “wonderful experience for him”. Our chief gets shot by Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman), so remember to look out for that scene if you watch the movie,” he said. Chapman’s family said in a statement after his death that he “suffered from significant mental illness,” and described him as a “bright, warm and engaging young man. “The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” said the family.
