Famed bear tamer is mauled to death in front of her teenage son after one of the beasts she kept at her home attacked when she opened cage to feed it
A famous Russian bear tamer has been slaughtered by one of the two beasts she kept in her home
Alyona Maslyanova, 50, died when a predator escaped from its cage and attacked her in the village of Pargolovo, near St. Petersburg in Russia.
In a shocking video, the bear is seen walking around in a blood-stained cage before panning to the right to reveal her mutilated body lying face down on the ground.
Maslyanova came from a Russian circus dynasty and also performed with bears, along with her husband Viktor Maslyanov and son Alexander, 17.
The teenager saw his mother being attacked while feeding the bear, managed to escape and alerted emergency services.
Alyona Maslyanova, 50, died when a predator escaped from its cage and attacked her in the village of Pargolovo, near St. Petersburg
Maslyanova came from a Russian circus dynasty and also performed with bears, together with her husband Viktor Maslyanov (pictured right)
Maslyanova was a famous circus artist in Russia
She kept two bears in her home, one of which was slaughtered
Police arrived but were initially unable to enter because the murderous bear was prowling around the woman’s body.
They stood on a roof and watched the excited beast.
Snipers were called in and shot the bear, which, however, did not try to run away.
The other animal she kept at the family home was tranquilized.
The female bears were named Varya and Dasha.
The Russian Investigative Committee reported: ‘The bear attacked the woman who kept two bears on her estate in the village of Pargolovo.
‘The victim died at the scene. The attacking bear was shot by police officers.
“The second bear is in an enclosure and poses no danger to others. The deceased female was a professional tamer and wild animals had been living with her since 2015.”
Earlier the author said: ‘It is difficult to predict a bear’s behavior, but with a little extra attention it is possible.
A disturbing video showed the bear walking around in a blood-stained cage
Maslyanova was only 50 when she was killed by the bears
‘Because my husband and I take good care of our bears: we feed them, clean them, prepare them for work, we look at the animal’s mood and can guess what to expect from him.’
Her husband arrived at the scene when police arrived and was denied access by officers to the area where his wife had died.
He regretted that his wife approached the bears while he was not there.
He shouted, ‘What for? Why did you do this when I wasn’t there? What for?’
He was also seen hugging his son.