Donald Trump slammed for sharing ‘sickening’ footage after man killed by tiger

Donald Trump has been criticised for sharing an AI-generated video appearing to be of himself chasing and playing with a tiger after a British man was killed after entering a tiger enclosure in a zoo in Yorkshire.

A man identified as William Chapman died after getting into the enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, where he was attacked by the tiger on Saturday (10 October).

Footage of the horrifying attack circulated online, with emergency services in attendance, and Chapman tragically being declared dead at the scene.

Since then, Trump has taken to his account on Truth Social, where he shared a bizarre AI-generated clip of himself.

The surreal video starts with Trump appearing to point a stern finger at a tiger approaching him, mirroring a moment in the viral footage.

In the AI clip, the tiger then hits Trump before running away. Trump chases after it and tackles it, before the pair appear to play on the grass while the song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' plays over the top.

The AI-generated clip bears a strong resemblance to the beginning of the viral video of the attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in which Chapman lost his life.

Trump had earlier shared the original clip of the attack showing the tiger attacking Mr Chapman in the enclosure, captioning it: "Don’t ever mess with nature!"

People took to social media to criticise Trump over the AI clip, with one calling it 'disgusting', writing: "Absolutely disgusting coming from the President of the United States. Complete disgrace."

Another posted: "Here's the President posting AI videos of himself wrestling with a tiger because of a recent news story in which a man was publicly mauled to death."

'William was a bright, warm and engaging young man'

In a statement, the man's heartbroken family said that Chapman, who appeared on ITV and the BBC as a child actor, had 'suffered significant mental illness’ over a number of years.

“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” they said on Tuesday.

“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.

“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 continued: “William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back."

In a statement released on 10 October, South Yorkshire Police said: "At 1.35pm today (Saturday 10 October) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.

"Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The man's family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.

"Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.

"Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries. We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this footage."

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has also shared a statement confirming that the tiger will not be euthanised following the tragic incident.

"We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday's tragic incident," said the statement.

"Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who sadly lost his life.

"The park will be closed today while the staff team who were deeply affected by events receive specialist support."