Watch: Lioness Attacks Her Trainer During Live Circus Performance, Audience Watch In Horror

A lioness mauled her trainer during a live circus performance in Russia on Saturday, May 22, prompting panic among hundreds of audience members. The horrifying moments of the vicious attack were caught on camera.

The attack occurred in the Novosibirsk region, during the Ural Travelling Circus performance on Saturday.

The trainer, identified as Maxim Orlov, survived the unexpected attack and was rushed to hospital after suffering from bite injuries to his legs and arms.

In the video footage, two lions can be seen entering the ring before they are followed by the ringmaster.

Once inside, the lioness, called Vega, started scraping with another lioness before launching an attack on Orlov, who was standing behind them.

Orlov and other circus staff desperately try to fight the predator using poles as it continues to maul the trainer.

The incident created a panic among the members of the audience. Parents can be seen fleeing the arena with their children. A pregnant woman reportedly suffered an epileptic seizure out of shock.

"The lionesses went berserk. When we ran away, there was a wild roar from the animals," Dailystar UK quoted a witness as saying.

"A pregnant woman had an epileptic seizure from fright. An ambulance was called," the witness told the news outlet.

Orlov said the attack was unexpected and rare. He blames the coronavirus pandemic to be the root cause of the attack as the circus has been non-functional during the lockdown.

"Cases such as today are very rare, but animals are animals," Orlov told reporters after he received treatment in hospital.

Orlov confirmed he would find a new home for the lioness.

"Vega is five years old and has been wayward since childhood. We will negotiate with the zoos to exchange her for a little lion cub," he said.

The video has gone viral since it hit the internet. Netizens have reacted to the video expressing concerns for the wild animals in captivity.

"What do you expect when you whip and prod and poke wild animals that shouldn't be in a circus anyway?" a netizen commented in response to the video.

"Ridiculous—maybe now that animal can go to a rescue sanctuary where it can live a semi-normal life."

"How many similar cases before people stop seeing the suffering of wild animals as entertainment for children?" another added.