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The moment the big cat trainer is charged by a TIGER during a performance at a family circus show when the animal knocks him to the ground and bites his neck
- Shocking images show the moment 31-year-old Ivan Orfei was attacked by the cat
- Tiger sneaked up to his master’s side and bit his leg before knocking him down.
- The trainer escaped with non-life-threatening injuries when animal protection groups called for a ban on the use of animals in circus shows.
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A big cat trainer in Italy was savagely attacked by a pair of tigers during a family circus show in the Italian province of Lecce on Thursday night.
Shocking footage shows the moment 31-year-old Ivan Orfei was attacked by one of the huge cats that snuck past him while he was instructing his partner during a performance at the Marina Orfei Circus in Surbo.
The tiger dragged the trainer to the ground by the leg before circling around him and leaping onto his back, biting into his helpless master’s neck.
Ivan was rushed to Lecce’s Vito Fazzi hospital with deep injuries to his neck, leg and arm inflicted by the cat during the show, but managed to escape the life-threatening injuries and was later released.
The tiger was isolated after the show to undergo veterinary tests. It is unclear if he will be suffocated as a result of the attack.
At first the tiger is placid and follows the orders of his master who guides him with a stick
A statement posted yesterday on Facebook by the circus management said: ‘Ours is a world made of great love for animals, as Iván himself demonstrates to the public in his shows.
‘Tigers are fascinating animals and knowing how to tame them and establish a relationship of trust with man is an art that has been taking place for hundreds of years, not only in the circus world.
“However, accidents can happen and the courage of those like him who practice this profession is commendable.”
The post continued: “Ivan, a very talented professional trainer, was struck by a tiger during the show and luckily he suffered minor injuries and his condition is not a cause for concern.”
But the cat then sinks its fangs into the trainer’s leg, dragging him down before circling after him and biting into his neck.
The International Organization for the Protection of Animals (OIPA) said the attack was evidence that a national law banning circus acts involving wild animals should be implemented.
OIPA, an NGO associated with various UN agencies, has spent years asking various governments to reform the law on the use of animals for entertainment purposes.
The president of the NGO, Massimo Comparotto, said in a statement: “Behind the exercises of the circus show hide months of privation, mistreatment and suffering. It’s no wonder episodes like this happen.
Comparotto added: ‘The animals that perform in circuses live in captivity behind bars, with limited available space and perpetually under stress. They live a life opposite to their nature and sometimes rebel
‘What happens to animals that attack circuses. What is your protection?