Terrifying footage captures the moment a circus lioness lunges at a four-year-old girl in the middle of its act. The horrifying vide...
Terrifying footage captures the moment a circus lioness lunges at a four-year-old girl in the middle of its act.
The horrifying video shows how the animal suddenly broke off from performing before it reportedly mauled the helpless child in Russia.
One account claimed the lion sank its teeth into the victim's head.
The young girl, named as Ksenia, is in intensive care with serious face and chest injuries.
She survived the incident but doctors say she will be “scarred for life” and a medic says she has been left with a bite mark on her face spanning from her ear to her chin.
The child had been waving a small flag and the lioness rushed from its trainer despite being on a leash and sprang on the child.
One account said the wild animal broke a flimsy safety netting around the circus ring at Uspenskoe village in the Krasnodar region.
Valentina Pavlova said she was a member of a medical team which treated the girl at the Central Republican Hospital in Krasnodar.
“There is a bite on her face that goes from ear to chin,” she said.
She added that the lioness used its paw and "pulled the child inside onto the arena and sank its teeth into her head.
“The circus team pulled the lioness away and delivered the girl to the Central Republican Hospital.
“She is now in stable condition, there is no danger to her life.”
The child is being treated in intensive care.
Wild animals continue to be used for performances in Russian circuses, including many touring troupes that go from place to place.
The latest incident is likely to lead to increase calls to ban the use of performing predators like lions and bears.
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