Warning: Distressing Content
East2WestAfter being made to act like a human at the circus, a bear lashed out at its trainer, attacking him in front of horrified spectators.
As video footage from the incident shows, children can be heard screaming in fear at the Russian circus, with families running away scared of the wild animal.
The brown bear was being forced to push around a wheelbarrow before he snapped, pinning one of the two trainers to the ground.
Check out the video here:
The incident was filmed in the town of Olonets, north-east Russia, by 27-year-old mum-of-one Galina Gurieva.
She said:
My knees are still trembling. I was shocked there was no fence for the safety of spectators, given the size of the bear.
In the video, the trainer can be seen leading the 600lb animal to the side of the ring before it turns round and goes for him.
As the other trainer attempts to kick the muzzled animal in an effort to stop the attack, spectators can be heard screaming in terror just feet away. As the footage shows, the circus – in the Karelia region of Russia – has no protective barrier around the ring.
East2WestAs the audience fled for the exit, the bear was reportedly electrocuted with a shock device to try and deter any further mauling.
Talking about the response inside the travelling big top, one spectator said: ‘The spectators rushed outside in panic, including me.’
Another visitor posted on social media: ‘It was an enormous bear, and they lost control of him.’
East2WestWhile another audience member added:
At first, everyone thought it was a script. But when the assistant started kicking the bear and pulled out the shocker, the panic started. People got up and ran to the exit.
After the bear had been shocked into submission with the stick, the animal was said to be in a ‘frenzied state in the arena, terrifying the people.’
The bear, part of the ‘Bow-legged and the Wheelbarrow’ performance, was reportedly the star attraction at the Anshlag Tent Circus.
A dad in the audience said: ‘We expected to see cute cubs and they brought in a huge grizzly-terminator. They did not protect children and adults from possible attack.’
East2WestThe circus trainer was reportedly injured in the attack, but no further details have been confirmed.
Police and local safety officials have launched an investigation into the incident.
Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t draft in wild animals to act like people for our amusement – just a thought.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.