US President Donald Trump has faced criticism after sharing footage showing 23-year-old William Chapman being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Mr Chapman died after entering the tiger enclosure at the Doncaster attraction on Saturday, October 10.

His family later urged people not to publish or circulate footage of his final moments, saying the spread of the videos was causing them “severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time”.

Despite that appeal, Trump reposted footage from the incident on Truth Social with the caption: “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.”

He subsequently shared a separate compilation involving big cats attacking people. Reporting on Wednesday said at least some of that material appeared to be AI-generated or manipulated.

Family asks public to stop sharing footage

Mr Chapman’s family described him as a “bright, warm and engaging young man” and said he had experienced significant mental illness over a number of years.

They asked people to stop sharing videos connected with the circumstances of his death and said the coroner should be allowed to determine whether his mental health or medication played any role.

South Yorkshire Police previously confirmed that Mr Chapman had entered the tiger enclosure and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park said the tiger remained unharmed and would not be euthanised.

Trump posts draw criticism

The President’s decision to share the footage prompted criticism online, with users accusing him of showing a lack of sensitivity towards Mr Chapman’s family.

The White House has not publicly explained why the President chose to share the video.