WATCH: Circus trainer mauled by lioness
A Russian circus trainer enters the ring and gets mauled by a lioness...
The Ural Traveling Circus saw a circus trainer, Maxim Orlov, get attacked by a lioness during one of the acts this past Saturday.
We go to see such events to experience some sort of entertainment, and as much as there is contention around the use of animals for entertainment purposes, it can be said that no one expects to see such horror.
The trainer, Orlov, is seen entering the fenced ring and being attacked quite viciously by the lioness. Moments before he enters, the lionesses, Vega and Santa, are seen brawling.
Watch the video footage below (video courtesy of YouTube):
Parents and kids were left feeling fearful and started to rush off as soon as they saw the lioness attack the trainer. As much as the trainer and other circus staff tried to fight off the lioness, their attempts failed as the trainer sustained injuries to his arm and leg and had to be taken to the hospital in Moshkovo, Novosibirsk region, which is in Russia.
Reports revealed that a pregnant woman who was in the audience had an epileptic seizure due to the shock. (Metro)
The attack spawned talks about banning animals from circuses, whilst Orlov said: "Cases such as today are very rare, but animals are animals. Vega is five years old and has been wayward since childhood. She will not perform again after the attack." (Metro)
The sad reality is that we fail to acknowledge that lions are wild animals and whenever we try to remove them from their natural habitat, it will cause some sort of repercussion. We hope that this will change the way people use animals in entertainment.
Image Courtesy of YouTube
