A viral video shows a lynx attacking its trainer at during a circus performance.
A trainer was mauled by a chained lynx during a circus performance in Georgia. In a video of the incident, shocked spectators were heard screaming as the medium-sized wild cat turned on its tamer after he violently yanked it off a high chair.
According to Unilad, the incident took place in Tskhinvali, in the Georgian area of South Ossetia.
Footage that is being widely circulated online begins with the lynx sitting on a tall platform onstage, wearing a collar around its neck. The circus tamer repeatedly yanks on the rope attached to the collar, until the platform topples to the ground and breaks.
The animal, clearly distressed by then, begins to attack the trainer, clawing at his face as the audience screams in horror. It eventually manages to free itself of the trainer's rope and run backstage.
A video of the incident appeared on TikTok one day ago. It has also been shared on other social media platforms like Twitter. The terrifying clip has once again sparked a debate around the ethics of using wild animals in circus performances.
According to Ladbible, local media outlets reported that there was no barrier between the stage and the seats. If the lynx had escaped, there were children in the audience who could have been injured.
In 2017, a tiger at a circus in China had attacked its handler, dragging him across the stage.
A number of countries are moving towards animal-free circuses as concerns around the treatment of these animals grow. Last year, Paris, the capital of France, banned the use of wild animals in circuses.
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