Shocking moment tiger collapses in front of circus audience
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. The appalling moment a tiger collapsed in convulsions in a circus ring seconds after jumping through rings of fire has been captured on video.
The performing six-year-old big cat called Zena keeled over, sparking concern for the safety of spectators by her brother and sister handlers Artur and Karina Bagdasarov.
With a large crowd in the Russian circus in Magnitogorsk, Artur said he feared a bloodbath from the other tigers attacking the fallen animal.
He has defended his actions, caught on video, of pulling the fallen tigress by the tail away from the edge of the ring, and emptying buckets of water on the Siberian big cats while he and Karina cracked long sticks used as whips to keep the other six performing tigers from coming close.
Amid an online outcry over animal cruelty with the handlers branded “sadists”, he said there was a risk of a giant cat fight leading to carnage in the circus.
Amur or Siberian tigers are the world’s largest big cats native to the far east of Russia.
The famous Russian troupe, which travel around the ex-USSR, denied they had used a stun gun on the tigress – as some online comments claimed – insisting the animal had suddenly collapsed in convulsions for unknown reasons, and in doing so sparked an emergency.
Karina said: “Artur did his best to bring Zena back to senses and he did all the right things – he touched her reflexive zones, he poured water on her.
“The main thing was to stop other animals from attacking. For them a weak animal is a target, it is an order to kill.
“If we had not stopped them, it would have ended with a bloody fight. And nobody knows who would have been alive after that.”
The video shows how the tigress gradually came round after what may have been an “epileptic fit”.
Artur Bagdasarov said he had no option but to pull her by the tail.
“I had to drag the animal away from the wire fence, she was about to fall between the stage and the wire,” he said.
“I dragged her to a safe place where there were no other tigers around. Any other tiger could have attacked her when she was so weak.
“Karina was controlling six animals so they did not do any harm to the tigress. So the tigress was away from spectators and away from other tigers.
“Why the tail? What else could I drag her by? She has claws on her paws. She is not a soft cat. I could not lift the whole tiger.”
He said it was “an emergency situation for all of us.”
“It was a shock. … As soon as it became quiet and water was brought, she woke up. The main thing is that everything was done to help her recover.
“We don’t know yet what happened to her”.
Spectators clapped as the animal stood up and walked from the ring, while others said there had been cruel laughter from onlookers.
“When the tiger was convulsing, spectators laughed,” said Larissa, who took her two children to the circus.
“When the animal defecated, it became clear it was an attack of an illness.
“I have seen the same thing with a dog. Both animal trainers behaved normally, the sister (Karina) was watching the other animals.
“The brother controlled everything and helped the tigress. There was no stun gun.”
Karina – who with her brother is the third generation of a famous Russian circus dynasty – said: “We did not have a stun gun. We will sue those who claim we did.”
She said: “These things happen to animals. Maybe the blood sugar level dropped.
“Perhaps it was blood pressure attack, maybe hormones. We have already called the vets and blood test was taken.
“Our vet is coming from Moscow soon, he will scan Zena’s liver and kidneys.”
The animal appeared to be recovering and is “eating well” ahead of a new performance on Sunday.
The Russian social media carried vitriolic criticism.
“You are sadists! Such a dirty occupation. Shame on you,” wrote one critic.
“Please ignore any circuses with animals. These ‘trainers’ are sadists. Animals are very rare in circuses abroad.”
A woman called Irina hit out: “It is just a horror. Such cruelty. The tigress fainted and he was poking her with a stick.”
A man said: “You pulled her tail. Shall we pull you the same way?”
Natalia wrote: “I hope someone treats your child the same way when he needs help.
“You had to stop the show and to carefully move the animal away.
“It is so obvious how much you love animals, nobody normal would ever come to watch your show.”
