Family of man killed by tiger criticise online content after Trump reposts video

Relatives of William Chapman say footage of attack shared online ‘deeply offensive’ and causing them ‘severe distress’

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

“It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death.

As a child, Chapman appeared in ITV’s 2009 comedy drama May Contain Nuts and in BBC Learning’s True Stories series, according to IMDb.

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.

The wildlife park has said the Amur (Siberian) tiger who was in the enclosure, called Altai, will not be euthanised. The park has remained closed since the weekend and Doncaster city council, which is responsible for licensing the park, said it had started a health and safety investigation.