Circus performer gnawed by 35-stone bear struggles to break free

This is the harrowing moment a bear attacked her handler during a circus show in Russia.

Footage taken by audience members shows the animal, named Donut, lunging at the tamer and flooring him in front of a crowd of parents with their children.

The incident happened in Biysk, the second largest city in the Altai Republic, near the border with Kazakhstan.

Moments before the performance took a turn for the worse, the bear – weighting some 35 stone – was seen riding a hoverboard.

The incident happened in front of an audience full of parents with their children (Picture: Bskgram/east2west news)

What pushed the animal to attack Sergei Prichinich is unclear, but he struggled to break free from her grip.

In the video, he can be seen being pinned to the metal barrier separating the ring from the audience.

Donut is shown gnawing the stick he held in his hand to control her. He remained calm, somehow avoiding a tragedy.

A circus official poked another stick at the bear through the barrier. Miraculously, she appears to lose interest and walking obediently with Prichinich as if nothing had happened. 

People watched in horror as the tamer struggled to break free (Picture: Bskgram/east2west news)

‘The performance continued,’ a spokesperson for the Moretti Circus confirmed.

Director Nikita Mikhailov said later: ‘Towards the end of the act, the bear snapped at Sergei and wrestled with him.’

He ‘did not resist on purpose’ and ‘waited for the bear to calm down, got up, continued the routine with her, sealed it all with a kiss, and that was it – the show continued as usual’.

He said neither the trainer nor the bear were injured. 

‘This is an animal, and they can behave differently, they may not like something, they can express their emotions this way,’ he said. ‘Every trainer understands this.’

Animal circus shows have a long history in Russia and remain popular to this day, despite coming under scrutiny in recent years, with many accusing the shows of exploitation and abuse.

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