Who’s the master now? The terrifying times circus animals flip and turn on their tamers
Animal rights activists have been criticizing countries like Russia and China for years for their daily abuse of circus animals.
Tamers use a variety of methods to defeat top predators, such as lashing, dancing, jumping over objects, or even electrocution. It is therefore not surprising that performing animals sometimes lash out.
Earlier this week, a circus bear on a hoverboard was seen attacking a trainer in front of hundreds of children and parents in Russia.
The circus performer tried to break free as the angry brown bear Donut – who weighed 50 pounds (23 kilograms) – gnawed on the stick he held in his hand to keep her under control.
In 2019, costumed bears were forced to dance and perform leapfrogs in front of shocked tourists too afraid to complain at a North Korean circus.
MailOnline takes a look at some of the worst examples of angry animals turning on their owners, who somehow lived to tell the tale.
Roller skating bear finally turns around
Footage shows circus trainer Oleg Krasov dragging female bear Dzhema by her hind legs after she sat on a chair
After pulling her across the circus floor on her roller skates, Krasov ran away before the bear began its revenge attack
Earlier this year, a circus bear attacked its trainer in front of screaming children after he forced the animal to perform violently.
The roller-skating bear, a female named Dzhema, was forced to perform tricks during the ironically named ‘Happiness Show’ at the Mash Circus in Obnisk, Russia, on June 1.
Shocking footage captured by a bystander Dzhema jumps at her cruel trainer, his back to her.
Seeking revenge, the bear charges at Krasov, until she hits him and pulls him to the ground, as he struggles to control the predator.
Chained bear jumps at trainer
Trainer attacked by bear after giving him a treat during performance
Footage captured the moment the animal ripped open the artist’s shirt as he brushed the animal off
In a circus in the city of Zaporizhia, a performing brown bear suddenly launched a furious attack on a trainer, in front of the audience.
The trainer had given the bear a “treat” before the animal turned on him.
A bystander captured the brown animal jumping on its hind legs and lunging at the keeper, sending him into shock.
The bear tore the man’s shirt with its claws, creating large holes in the fabric as the trainer tried to get the animal under control.
Tamer narrowly escapes the clutches of a caged lion
Shocking footage shows the dangerous confrontation between two lions and their tamer on a circus stage in Dongning City in northern China during a performance last week
The male lion attacked and lunged at the male (pictured) during the show on September 22, while the female lion stood by
Last year, a lion in China suddenly did a somersault and attacked its circus master as the audience screamed.
Shocking footage shows the dangerous confrontation between two lions and their tamer on a circus stage in the northern Chinese city of Dongning during a performance.
The male lion attacked the male and jumped towards him during the show, while the female lion stood by.
The tamer managed to escape the lion’s grasp and the video shows him running to the other side of the cage, with the lions hot on his heels.
Angry bear attacks circus director in front of audience
An angry bear attacked a circus director in front of a large audience
The performance ‘Soviet Circus’ was performed by the traveling company Zvezdny from Novosibirsk
An angry bear attacked a circus director in front of a large crowd of children and their parents.
The beast suddenly became agitated before entering the ring to show off his tricks in the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk.
There were gasps from the audience as the circus director and a tamer tried to control the brown bear, yanking on the leash to force the bear to obey as the bear tried to escape.
Someone shouts, “What’s going on? Damn it.”
Lion ‘claws and sinks teeth’ into angry trainer
Video shows horrific moment lion attacks famous circus performer in circus ring in Black Sea resort of Sochi
The drama began when two male lions started fighting during a performance in the 1,200-seat arena, after which they turned on trainer Makarenko
Gruesome footage captured a lion attacking a famous circus performer in Russia.
The beast “clawed and sank its teeth” into 42-year-old Alexey Makarenko during a performance for children and their parents.
His wife Olga Borisova, 43, also a trainer, “saved his life” by chasing away the predator when it forced him to the floor of the circus ring in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The drama began when two male lions started fighting during a performance in the 1,200-seat arena.