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Audience Scream As Chained Lynx Attacks Trainer During Circus Performance

Audience Scream As Chained Lynx Attacks Trainer During Circus Performance

It is not clear whether either the man or the animal were hurt in the incident

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

A trainer has been attacked by a chained lynx during a circus performance in Georgia.

Footage shows the animal atop a platform on stage in Tskhinvali as a man in a gold jacket appears to yank it by a rope attached to its collar.

Eventually the platform collapses and the lynx falls to the floor and runs around frantically as the audience look on in shock.

The lynx can then be seen leaping at the trainer and attempting to maul him with its claws as screams echo around the venue.

It is not clear whether the trainer was injured.

According to local media, there were many children in the audience who could have been injured by the lynx if it had escaped, as there were no barriers installed between the stage and the seats.

Our heart does not go out to the 'trainer'.
CEN

Last year, a tiger escaped a circus performance in China, sparking mass panic among the audience.

The incident happened during a show in the county of Yuanyang, in Xinxiang City in Central China's Henan Province, on 6 September and footage showed the Siberian tiger scaling a cage before escaping.

Authorities spent the night searching for the animal - it was found in a cornfield the following day where it was tranquillised before being transported to a zoo. However, the tiger was dead upon arrival, with officials believing it may have sustained internal injuries as a result of being hit by a vehicle during its escape.

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long encouraged people not to attend circus performances involving animals.

On its website, the organisation says: "Elephants, tigers, and other animals that circuses use to entertain audiences do not stand on their heads, jump through hoops, or balance on pedestals because they want to. They perform these and other difficult tricks because they're afraid of what will happen if they don't.

"Circuses travel nearly year-round, in all weather extremes, sometimes for days at a time. While in transit, the animals are confined to trailers or trucks, where they may not have access to basic necessities, such as food, water, and veterinary care.

"Elephants are chained, and big cats are imprisoned in cramped, filthy cages, in which they eat, drink, sleep, defecate, and urinate-all in the same place. And there's no relief once the animals reach a venue, where they remain caged and are chained in arena basements and parking lots.

"Avoid all circuses that use animals. Talk to friends and family members, particularly those with young children who might be especially inclined to go."

Featured Image Credit: CEN

Topics: World News, Animals