An audience at a circus got more thrills and chills than it asked for during a recent performance.
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Spectators at the Dovgaluk Circus show in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, were frightened when a tiger briefly escaped its enclosure and moved toward the crowd. Clips of the incident have gone viral.
What Happened at the Circus?
During the Dovgaluk Circus show, there is a staged act features three tigers in an area enclosed by a net. But during the show, part of the enclosure became loose, which startled the animals.
A tiger then leapt out of the enclosed area. It moved toward the audience, causing them to scream. Parents began pulling their children closer as the animal moved around the seating area. Officials can be heard telling the audience to remain calm so as not to anger the tiger any further.
Was Anyone Injured by the Tiger?
Nikolai Dovgaluk, the circus' director, said that no injuries were reported during the tiger's brief escape. An animal trainer walked up to the tiger and secured it with a collar. It then guided it back into an enclosure.
He shared that while the situation had some inherent risk, the circus tigers are trained. They are accustomed to performing in front of crowds.
This incident comes a year after a circus performer's arm was amputated after a tiger attack.
In footage of the incident, the entertainer has stuck their arm through the bars. It grabbed onto the performer's arm and did not let go, locking itself against the bars with all four of its paws.
With its jaws closed around the performer's arm, it begins to thrash around. The crowd starts to scream and run from their seats as the limb is savaged by the caged tiger.
After employees tried to help, the tiger eventually backed down and allowed the performer to get their bloody arm from the cage.
The performer was rushed to a nearby hospital, where they underwent four hours of surgery. Despite the doctors' best efforts, they lost the arm.
