Audience who had gone to circus in Ukraine were terrified when a lion turned on its trainer and attacked him. The incident took place at the Lugansk State Circus when an aggressive lion managed to overpower well known circus trainer Hamada Kouta.
A video of the attack captured by members in the audience was going viral online. It shows the lion attacking its trainer, pinning him to the ground. As the music stops abruptly, the crowd can be heard screaming. The trainer, Mr. Kouta managed to regain an upper hand later by pushing the lion away.
Mr. Kouta, who escaped the attack with no major injuries, he later spoke to local media saying, “The lion jumped at me and bit me, but thank God not on my neck. He immediately let me go. My back, arm and leg were hurt. I called up one lion, and the second one attacked me from the front.”
He added that the attack did not stop the show, and only occurred because the circus lions were unsettled after arriving at a new location.
“The most important thing for me is to see children in the audience. Of course, I was covered in blood, but I asked everybody to calm down, and started the performance all over again, from the beginning.”
The incident grabbed attention of animal welfare organisations such as the Big Cat Rescue and Animal Defenders International, they asked to ban big cats performing in circuses.
A similar incident occurred two years ago in China, when a lion was filmed dragging his trainer across the stage during a show.
Source : Various