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For several years, animal rights activists have criticized countries such as Russia and China for their daily torment of circus animals.
From whipping them and forcing them to dance or jump on objects to even electrocuting them, there are a variety of methods that animal trainers use to degrade apex predators, so it’s no surprise that sometimes performing animals lash out.
Earlier this week, a circus bear riding a hoverboard was seen attacking a trainer in front of hundreds of children and parents watching in Russia.
The circus performer struggled to free herself as the angry brown bear named Donut, weighing 35 stone, bit the stick she was holding in her hand to try to control her.
In 2019, costumed bears were forced to dance and perform frog jumps in front of shocked tourists too scared to complain at a North Korean circus.
Here, MailOnline looks at some of the worst examples of angry animals turning on their owners – who somehow lived to tell the tale.
The skating bear finally turns around
Circus trainer Oleg Krasov was seen in footage dragging Dzhema the bear on her hind legs after she was sitting on a chair.
After dragging it around the circus on his skates, Krasov walked away before the bear could launch its revenge attack.
Earlier this year, a circus bear attacked its trainer in front of screaming children after forcing him to perform.
The skating bear, a female named Dzhema, was being forced to perform tricks at the ironically named ‘Happiness Show’ at the Mash Circus, Obnisk, Russia, on June 1.
Shocking footage captured by an audience member shows Dzhema leaps towards her cruel trainer as he turns his back.
Seeking revenge, the bear charges at Krasov until she knocks him down, dragging him to the ground as he struggles to control the predator.
Chained bear jumps towards his trainer
A trainer was attacked by a bear after feeding it a treat during a performance
The footage captured the moment the animal tore the artist’s shirt as he struggled against the animal.
In a circus in Zaporizhia, a performing brown bear suddenly launched a furious attack on its tamer in front of the spectators.
The trainer had given the bear a treat before the beast turned on him.
Footage taken by an onlooker captured the moment the brown creature leapt onto its hind legs and lunged towards its keeper in a shock attack.
The bear ripped the man’s shirt with its claws, leaving large holes in the fabric as the trainer struggled to control the animal.
The tamer narrowly escapes the clutches of a caged lion
Shocking footage shows a dangerous confrontation between two lions and their tamer in a caged circus arena in the northern Chinese city of Dongning during a performance last week.
The male lion attacked and leapt at the man (pictured) during the Sept. 22 show, while the lioness stood by.
Last year, a lion suddenly turned and attacked its circus tamer as audiences screamed during a performance in China.
Shocking footage shows a dangerous confrontation between two lions and their tamer on stage at a caged circus in the northern Chinese city of Dongning during a performance.
The male lion attacked and jumped on the man during the show while the lioness stood by.
The tamer managed to escape the lion’s clutches and the video shows him running to the opposite side of the cage with the lions hot on his heels.
Angry bear attacks circus director in front of crowd
An angry bear attacked a circus director in front of a large crowd.
The show ‘Soviet Circus’ was performed by the Zvezdny traveling company from Novosibirsk.
An angry bear attacked a circus director in front of a large crowd of children and their parents.
The beast suddenly stirred before entering the ring to show off his tricks in the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk.
Gasps could be heard from the audience as the ringmaster and a tamer struggled to control the grizzly bear, pulling on its leash to force it to obey as it tried to escape.
You hear someone shout: “What’s going on? Damn it.”
Lion ‘sinks his claws and teeth’ into an evil coach
A video shows the horrific moment a lion attacks a well-known circus performer on the circus ring in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The drama began when two male lions began fighting during an event at the 1,200-seat stadium, before turning on trainer Makarenko.
Horrifying footage captured the moment a lion attacked a well-known circus performer in Russia.
The beast ‘scratched and sank its teeth’ into Alexey Makarenko, 42, during a performance in front of children and their parents.
His wife Olga Borisova, 43, also a trainer, “saved his life” by chasing away the predator when it forced him to the ground in the circus ring in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The drama began when two male lions began fighting during an event at the 1,200-seat stadium.
