A circus performer has been killed after being attacked by four tigers.
Ettore Weber, 61, was mauled by the big cats at around 7.30pm last night while rehearsing for a performance at the Circo Orfei in Triggiano, southern Italy.
According to La Gazzetta de Mezzogiorno, the famous performer was knocked down by a tiger and three more pounced on him.
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The newspaper reports that horrified medical staff looked on unable to help while the tigers played with Weber's body for half an hour.
The Corriere reports that Weber's fellow performers tried in vain to drive the tigers away from him.
An ambulance arrived but it was tragically too late for Weber and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Doctors said he sustained server trauma to his spine during the attack; while local media has reported he was 'torn apart' by the animals.
The four tigers have been impounded and handed over to Zoosafari of Fasano.
Police have launched an investigation to investigate the circumstances surrounding Weber's death.
Earlier this year a circus performer in Lugansk, Ukraine, was bitten by a lion during a show.
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During a show popular with children and their parents, Hamada Kouta was jumped upon by a lion which then sunk its teeth and claws into his arm.
The 32-year-old sustained injuries to his arm, leg and back in the incident.
The lion then retreated out of the cage and Kouta was able to receive medical attention.
Speaking after the attack, Kouta said: "I called up one lion, and the second one attacked me from the front. I stopped him in the middle of the ring calmed him down, but he refused to return to his sitting position.
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"I stepped backwards, there was a stand behind me, I hit it and fell. 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. Scars from two claws and one tooth are on my leg, tooth marks on my arm, one four centimetres (one and a half inches) deep from three claws on my back.
"I calmly called them back, because there were children in the audience. The most important thing for me is to see children in the audience.
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"Of course, I was covered in blood, but I asked everybody to calm down, and started the performance all over again, from the beginning."
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Circus Mania
Topics: Tiger, World News