Authorities are now investigating how a tiger managed to leap into a terrified crowd at a Russian circus in Rostov-on-Don after a barrier collapsed. Videos of the frightening incident have gone viral on social media.
Two trainers and three tigers were performing inside a performance ring at the Dogavluk Dynasty Circus when the incident occurred. According to eyewitness footage from the scene, a barrier separating the audience from the animals abruptly collapsed, allowing the circus tiger to jump over it and into the crowd.
“Dear visitors, please remain calm, or you’ll make it worse,” an announcer was heard saying over the circus loudspeaker, according to The Moscow Times.
One video shows the tiger moving through the rows of seats as spectators scramble to get away. In a second video, families with small children watched as a trainer tried to guide the tiger toward an exit.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Rostov Region has opened a criminal case in response to the incident, according to a statement posted on the Russian social media site VK.
The statement also reported that, miraculously, the tiger did not hurt anyone. Experts captured the tiger almost immediately and returned it to a secure transport container.
“The animal wasn’t acting aggressively. The tiger didn’t attack anyone, but the very fact that this wild animal was among people certainly created panic. The animal, on the contrary, moved away from the crowd, in the opposite direction,” one witness, Olga Petrenko, told TASS.
The Dogavluk Dynasty Circus declined to comment to TASS and 161.ru, according to The Washington Times.