A deer attacked its trainer in the middle of a circus show in the Russian city of Barnaul. The incident was recorded on video by viewers and recently shared on social media.
The images show the moment when the animal suddenly lunges at the woman and tries to attack her with its horns. The artist manages to contain the attack with her hands and protect herself with the edge of the sand, until two members of the circus come to calm and immobilize the deer.
In dialogue with local media, the administration of the show claimed that the worker involved was only lightly scratched and that the deer was not injured by its behavior. According to the trainers, the mammal’s reaction was the result of a poor placement of the props for its number, which caused it to feel disoriented and scared. They also stressed that these types of accidents are very rare and that animals tend to behave calmly without the need to sedate them. “Why should you scold him [al ciervo]? It was not his fault that things happened like this, “they stressed from the circus.
A deer attacks a tamer in a Russian circus During a circus show in Barnaul (Russia), a deer attacked its tamer, who narrowly avoided being gored by the animal, which had to be removed from the track pic.twitter.com/jJTX1ePuOx
– MRT in Spanish (@ActualidadMRT) June 30, 2021
Controversy
However, the event reopened the debate on the Internet about the use of animals in circus shows. Some Internet users doubted the aesthetic value of this type of presentation and expressed their concern about the condition of the deer, in addition to the risk that its attack could have caused a tragedy, since it would have easily been able to access the public.
Images of other number of the same show, this time consisting of raising several meters to a leopard that is attached to a trapeze with its jaws and claws, also unleashed negative comments from Internet users who insist on attracting the attention of legislators to achieve regulations that end that ” cruelty”.
Incidents involving animals and handlers in traveling circuses are frequently reported in Russia. In May, a trainer was injured when he was attacked by a lioness during a show in the Novosibirsk region. In March, two elephants fought in the middle of a performance in a crowded circus, causing the audience to flee.
In this context, the issue of the prohibition of these events has been discussed for some time at the federal level as the rest of the world increasingly rejects these practices. Although there is still no specific legislation, in January 2020 an amendment came into effect in the country that bans contact zoos, places where visitors are allowed to pet and connect directly with animals.
