Footage shows the bear bounding towards the handler, knocking him over, and pinning him to the ground at a Russian circus
The images capture a terrifying moment at a circus where a bear, mid-performance, suddenly turned on its handler and launched an attack.
The handler, 48-year-old Sergei Prichinich, was in the middle of a routine with the bear, which was balancing on a hoverboard at the time.
The video reveals the startling moment when the female bear unexpectedly charged at Prichinich, knocking him over during the show in the Altay Kray region, located in central Russia.
The brown bear, known by the name Donut, then pinned Prichinich to the ground.
As she did so, she seemed to bite at a stick that he was holding in his hand.
Donut, who weighs over 490 pounds, held Prichinich down while another trainer, seen on the video, tried to intervene by poking a stick through the bars.
After a tense and nerve-wracking few moments with Prichinich on the ground, Donut eventually moved away, releasing him.
WATCH: Horrifying moment hoverboard-riding circus bear turns on its handler and pins him to the ground in front of screaming audience in Russia
Prichinich managed to get back on his feet. Donut, having seemingly lost her aggressive streak, then calmly walked away from Prichinich after the attack.
The Moretti Circus, where the incident occurred, denied any reports suggesting that Prichinich was taken to the hospital after the incident.
They emphasized that the performance continued as planned.
Both the trainer and the bear emerged from the ordeal without injury, with Prichinich remaining composed and calm throughout the entire event.
Nikita Mikhailov, who is the head of the Moretti Circus, commented on the incident: “Towards the end of the act, the bear snapped at Sergei and wrestled with him.”
Mikhailov further explained that Prichinich ‘didn’t resist on purpose’ during the attack.
He instead “waited for the bear to calm down, got up, continued the routine with her, sealed it all with a kiss, and that was it — the show continued as usual.”
Mikhailov added, “This is an animal, and they can behave differently, they may not like something, they can express their emotions this way. Every trainer understands this.”
As the incident unfolded, audience members watched in horror, seeing Prichinich being pinned down by the massive bear.
The situation was tense and could have easily turned fatal for the trainer, but despite the danger, Prichinich stayed calm throughout, eventually seeing Donut walk away.
In Russia, the use of animals in circuses is still permitted, and these animals are featured in various performances.
In another act, two bears were dressed in shorts and made to ‘box’ each other while standing on their hind legs in a makeshift ring.
Yuri Koretskikh, a Russian animal rights campaigner, is leading efforts to ban the use of animals in circuses.
He stated, “While modern world circus art is rapidly moving towards humanity, banning the use of animals in circuses, the Russian circus lobby is actively resisting progress, defending its commercial interests.”
He added that despite the pushback, there are indications that audiences ‘no longer want to see animals suffer in circuses’.
