Circus performance goes horribly wrong when triggered bear mauls trainer in front of terrified children: ‘Snapped’

Bear-ly alive!

Sergei Prichinich, a Russian circus trainer, almost lost his life during a live performance with a female brown bear named Donut.

The audience was filled with horrified parents and children watching the show go disastrously wrong.

“Towards the end of the act, the bear snapped at Sergei and wrestled with him,” Nikita Mikhailov, head of the Moretti Circus, told reporters after the incident. “Their performance continued.” 

The bear, weighing over 490 pounds, was riding a hoverboard during her skit when she suddenly snapped at the trainer.

Within seconds, Prichinich was pinned to the ground for about half a minute until a worker outside the cage poked the bear long enough for the trainer to land back on his feet.

Despite the petrifying moment, Prichinich continued the show as if his life wasn’t in danger.

Mikhailov revealed that the trainer “waited for the bear to calm down, got up, continued the routine with her, sealed it with a kiss, and that was it. The show continued as usual,” according to East2West. 

The bear can be seen tackling the trainer and swatting at him as he desperately tries to keep the beast at bay by holding a bar between the animal’s maw and himself.

However, once the employee outside the cage jabbed at the bear, she eased up and left Prichinich alone.

Mikhailov praised Prichinich for keeping his cool in such a terrifying incident.

“This is an animal, and they can behave differently, they may not like something, they can express their emotions this way,” Mikhailov said. “Every trainer understands this.” 

Mikhailov’s team was elated the situation didn’t turn deadly. However, Russian animal rights campaigner Yuri Koretskikh called for a ban on live animal performances. 

“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,” Koretskikh said.

Animal rights have been a major issue in Russia, which led Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign a bill banning animal cruelty in 2018, according to TASS. The law does not cover animal performances, which have remained a focus for activists. 

However, the Russian governing body, the Duma, proposed a bill that would ban the use of circus animals in the country in 2023. The bill is moving to the lower chamber in October, according to Russian outlet Vet and Life. 

Alexey Nechaev and Vladislav Davankov, the bill’s co-authors, stressed the desire to “protect the lives and welfare of animals involved in circus performances.”