The family of a man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park in the UK have spoken about their “severe distress” at the circulation of online media after Donald Trump reposted a video of the incident. William Chapman, 23, was mauled to death after entering an enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, on Saturday. His family described him as “bright, warm and engaging” and suffering from severe mental illness.
They said online footage being shared was “deeply offensive” and causing them “severe distress”. One of those to circulate footage was the US president who posted a video clip of the tiger attack to 13 million followers on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. The clip showed the tiger biting and clawing Chapman as he was sitting in the enclosure.
At one point he wags his finger at the animal. Trump signed the footage with: “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.” It did not show Chapman being killed.
Later the president posted an AI-generated video of himself grinning and having fun by chasing and play fighting with the tiger. It is accompanied by the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens. It features Trump copying the pointing gesture made by Chapman and ends with him and the tiger hugging.
Relatives of Chapman, in a statement released on Tuesday evening, said: “The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. We ask people to stop doing this. Sadly, William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication.
He previously attended Jackie Palmer stage school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which paid tribute on Facebook and posted a picture of Chapman as a child student. The school said 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.
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