A former child actor who jumped into an enclosure at a British zoo and was mauled to death by a Siberian tiger had suffered for years from mental illness that required “strong” medication.
The family of 23-year-old William Chapman broke its silence in a statement issued three days after his death at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park where horrified onlookers had watched the entire encounter after he entered the big cat’s domain.
“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” according to the family’s statement to the Independent.
“William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication,” they said. “The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did.”
The statement did not specify what mental disorder Chapman had.
The family also remembered Chapman as “a bright, warm, and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved — and William loved them back,” the statement said.
Chapman actually shared a video on social media Saturday, moments before he walked up to Altai, a 420-pound Siberian tiger, after climbing into its enclosure, according to news outlets.
Apparently prior to his fatal excursion into the zoo’s enclosure, witnesses saw him “pacing around with his headphones in” and “happily dancing,” then asking fellow zoo-goers to snap a picture of him with the big cat in the background, the New York Post reported.
Video has circulated on social media of the cat first mauling Chapman in a grassy area but also showed Chapman freeing himself and momentarily cowing the tiger by pointing at the big cat and telling it to “stop being naughty,” according to one report.
However, that didn’t stop the animal from eventually dragging the man into a wooded area where he reportedly met his death.
First responders found his lifeless body at the scene.
The family in its statement also objected to the viral footage circulating on social media.
“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time,” the family statement said. “We ask people to stop doing this.”
The Independent in its coverage appeared to try to link that statement to President Donald Trump who had shared the video Tuesday afternoon of Chapman momentarily gaining control of the cat on Truth Social a Tuesday, with the comment, “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.”
Late last night, the president posted another video: AI generated footage of him in the enclosure, pointing at the tiger as Chapman did, then chasing and tackling, then playfully hugging the animal as the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays.
Because of the time zone differences between the U.S. and England, and the lack of the exact time of their statement to the Independent, it’s not clear whether the family was reacting to the AI video of the president or even his original post of the viral footage.
The Chapman video has been ubiquitous on social media and was aired by cable news outlets as well on Tuesday.
Chapman worked as a child actor, the Sun reported, including on a TV show alongside Shirley Henderson, one of the stars in the Harry Potter films.
The zoo issued a statement saying it was working with authorities to “ascertain exactly what happened” as well as stating its “highest priority” was the safety of visitors, staff, and its animals.
Apparently the tiger was not scheduled to be put down because of the attack, as is often done after a human attack by a predator in the wild.
Tiger King star Carole Baskin told the New York Post that the tiger “was not doing anything wrong.”
“The tiger was not doing anything wrong by being a tiger,” she said. “I am relieved to hear that the animal was not harmed.”
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.