Warning: This post contains footage that some readers may find upsetting.

Images depict a horrific moment when a bear performing in a circus attacked a handler during a performance.

Handler Sergei Prichinich, 48, had performed with the bear, who was standing on a hoverboard.

During the performance in the Altay Kray area of central Russia, a female bear raced towards Prichinich and knocked him over, as seen on video.

The brown bear, nicknamed Donut, forced Prichinich to the ground and appeared to bite a stick he was carrying.

Donut, who weighs more than 490 pounds, held Prichinich down as another trainer poked a stick through the bars.

After a few uncomfortable seconds on the ground, Donut stepped away, allowing Prichinich to climb back to his feet.

Following the incident, Donut appeared to have lost her temper and strolled calmly away from Prichinich.

The Moretti Circus has refuted claims that the incident led to the trainer’s hospitalization, asserting that the show continued.

Prichinich maintained his composure throughout the encounter, and neither the trainer nor the bear suffered any injuries.

The head of the Moretti Circus, Nikita Mikhailov, stated: “Towards the end of the act, the bear snapped at Sergei and wrestled with him.”
Mikhailov claimed that Prichinich ‘didn’t resist on purpose’, but instead ‘waited for the bear to calm down, got up, finished the performance with her, capped it all with a kiss, and that’s it—the show went as usual’.

Circus director continued, “Animals can behave differently, dislike things, and express their feelings.

“Every trainer understands this.”

The audience watched in horror as they restrained Prichinich.
The encounter may have been fatal for the trainer, yet he kept cool throughout until Donut walked away.

Animals are still legal in Russia, and circuses employ them in a variety of acts.

In another act, two bears were clothed in shorts and forced to ‘box’ each other on their hind legs in a makeshift ring.

Yuri Koretskikh, a Russian animal rights activist, is leading attempts to ban animals from circuses.

He continued: “While modern world circus art is rapidly moving towards humanity, banning the use of animals in circuses, the Russian circus lobby is actively resisting progress, defending its commercial interests.”

Despite assertions that audiences ‘no longer desire to witness animal suffering in circuses,’