Horror as brutal tigress fight breaks out in circus ring in front of hundreds of children and parents, leaving big cat covered in blood and gravely wounded
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Footage of Russia’s Kislovodsk State Circus shows a brutal fight between tigers
- One tigress was severely injured in the attack with vets now fighting for her life
- Experts claim unusually warm weather put the attacker in ‘hunting mode’ early
A circus performance had to be halted after two female tigers battled in a fierce fight in front of an audience of children and parents.
Trainers repeatedly hit the tigers with poles and threw props at them to try and separate the beasts in deeply disturbing footage from Kislovodsk State Circus in Russia.
One female tiger named Eru was attacked by a nine-year-old white tigress Gina which went on the rampage in the ring during an act.
Stricken performing animal Eru was badly injured but climbed back on a ring stool before collapsing with blood pouring from gaping wounds in front of hundreds of watching children and their parents.
Vets are now ‘fighting to save her life’.
The distressing episode led to immediate calls for a ban on live animals in circuses in Russia.
Members of the audience watched in horror over several minutes as the vicious fight ensued, and then witnessed the wounded beast as trainers sought to get it into a cage.
Other tigers were in the ring but did not join the fight.
A Russian circus performance was brought to a halt after a fight broke out between tigers
Atiger named Eru was attacked by nine-year-old tigress Gina at the Kislovodsk State Circus
Trainers hit the tigers with poles and threw props at them to try and separate the beasts
Famous tiger trainer Yaroslav Zapashny, 32, from Moscow, who was performing with his troupe on tour, apologised for the ugly scenes for which the audience paid between £8 and £23 per ticket for a New Year show.
Circus experts claimed that abnormally warm weather in the south of Russia led to Gina ‘going into hunting mode ahead of time’.
‘Today, a very fierce conflict broke out between two tigresses during my performance with predators,’ said Zapashny, who is from the fifth generation of a famous circus dynasty.
‘One of the tigresses attacked another one.
‘To avoid terrible wounds me and my tamers started pulling them apart
‘Security guards behind the [safety] net got involved….
Experts claimed that unusually warm weather led to Gina ‘going into hunting mode’ early
‘They were pulled apart…
‘One of the tigresses, unfortunately, has very serious wounds.
‘She was loaded in a cage and taken [away].
‘Vets are now fighting for her life.
‘I express my apologies to the audience for such an incident.
‘This is the first case in my experience.
‘Fights happen but such a fierce one was for the first time.’
Vets are now fighting for the life of the badly injured tigress after she was seriously wounded
The appalling big cat fight came one day after another a lion attacked a well-known circus trainer elsewhere in Russia.
The beast ‘clawed and sank its teeth’ into Alexey Makarenko, 42, during a performance in front of children and their parents.
His wife Olga Borisova, 43, also a trainer, ‘saved his life’ in chasing away the predator when it forced him to the floor of the circus ring in Black Sea resort Sochi.
After the tiger fight, there were a flood of online calls in Russia for a ban on live animals in circuses.
Milana posted: ‘They are torturing animals.’
Another commenter said: ‘Ban circuses. This is a mockery and sadism!’
Lara added: ‘Close circuses with animals. It is torture for animals.’
Irina Novozhilova, of animal rights group VITA, has long called for the prohibition of all circuses with live animals, which remain popular across Russia.
‘No circus conditions will be humane for one simple reason,’ she said.
‘Training goes hand in hand with cruelty….
‘Circuses are always cruel beyond limits.
‘And circuses with animals should be banned.’
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