A man was killed on Saturday after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster in northern England, South Yorkshire Police confirmed.
According to police, the man was spotted entering the enclosure shortly before officers were alerted at 1:35 p.m. local time. The tiger attacked him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The tiger was not injured and remained inside its enclosure. Following the incident, the wildlife park was evacuated and closed, with management announcing that it would remain shut for the remainder of the weekend.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park said its emergency procedures were activated immediately and that it was cooperating with authorities investigating the circumstances of the incident.
"Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the person who has lost their life," the park said.
Police confirmed that officers were providing assistance to the man's relatives and appealed to members of the public to refrain from circulating videos of the attack that had appeared online.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who represents Doncaster North in Parliament, expressed his condolences to the victim's family and thanked the emergency responders and park employees involved.
Lee Pitcher, the MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, also expressed his sorrow over the incident and praised emergency personnel for their response.
One visitor, 39-year-old Karmelle Pelham, told reporters that she had been visiting the park with her family when employees instructed visitors to leave. She recalled hearing noises resembling gunfire and seeing an air ambulance flying overhead.
Pelham also described seeing a large black covering placed over the tiger enclosure and commended staff for the orderly evacuation.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park first opened in 2009 and introduced its Land of the Tigers attraction in 2011. The two-acre habitat houses endangered Amur tigers, whose remaining wild population is estimated at approximately 500 animals.