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Circus tiger collapses yards from spectators before handler drags it away by the tail and revives it with buckets of water amid fears it would be attacked by other big cats
By Will Stewart In Moscow for MailOnline
- Distressing footage shows the tigress, Zena, keeling over yards from spectators
- Handler then drags the animal away by the tail as others throw buckets of water
- Distressing scene unfolded during circus performance in Magnitogorsk, Russia
- The handlers have defended their actions amid online claims of animal cruelty
Published: 03:07 EDT, 25 September 2018 | Updated: 06:13 EDT, 25 September 2018
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This is the moment a tigress collapsed in convulsions in a circus ring seconds after jumping through rings of fire in Russia.
Distressing footage shows the six-year-old big cat, Zena, keeling over yards from shocked spectators at the event in the city of Magnitogorsk in the country's Chelyabinsk Oblast.
Handler Artur Bagdasarov, fearing other tigers would instinctively attack the weakened animal causing a bloodbath, was then seen trying to drag the twitching Siberian tigress away by the tail.
Others desperately tried to bring the creature round using buckets of cold water.
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Distressing footage show the moment a tigress collapsed in convulsions in a circus ring seconds after jumping through rings of fire in Russia
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Handler Artur Bagdasarov, fearing other tigers would instinctively attack the weakened animal causing a bloodbath, was then seen trying to drag the twitching Siberian tigress away by the tail
Bagdasarov's sister Karina cracked long sticks to keep the other six performing tigers from coming close to the convulsing beast.
He has since defended his actions amid an online outcry over animal cruelty - insisting a cat fight would have caused carnage in the circus.
Amur or Siberian tigers are the world's largest big cats, native to the far east of Russia.
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The famous Russian troupe which travels around former Soviet countries insisted the animal had suddenly collapsed in convulsions for unknown reasons, and in doing so sparked an emergency.
Karina said: 'Artur did his best to bring Zena back to senses and he did all the right things - he touched her reflexive zones, he poured water on her. The main thing was to stop other animals from attacking.
'For them a weak animal is a target, it is an order to kill. If we had not stopped them, it would have ended with a bloody fight. And nobody knows who would have been alive after that.'
The video shows how the tigress gradually came round after what may have been an 'epileptic fit'.
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The clip shows the six-year-old big cat, Zena, keeling over yards from shocked spectators at the event in the city of Magnitogorsk in the country's Chelyabinsk Oblast
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The handler desperately tried to bring the creature round using buckets of cold water
Artur Bagdasarov said he had no option but to pull her by the tail.
'I had to drag the animal away from the wire fence, she was about to fall between the stage and the wire,' he said.
'I dragged her to a safe place where there were no other tigers around. Any other tiger could have attacked her when she was so weak.
'Karina was controlling six animals so they did not do any harm to the tigress. So the tigress was away from spectators and away from other tigers.
'Why the tail? What else could I drag her by? She has claws on her paws. She is not a soft cat. I could not lift the whole tiger.
'When I watched this video, I realised that I am a healthy man, she weighs 200 kg. I was only shocked that I managed to drag her. What if I had taken her away from the stage?
'She would have recovered there and what would I do next? As soon as she recovered she became a normal tiger, with the same claws and teeth.
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Artur Bagdasarov (pictured) said he had no option but to pull the tiger away by the tail
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Bagdasarov's sister Karina cracked long sticks to keep the other six performing tigers from coming close to the convulsing beast
'If I had dragged her to the cage, other tigers would have run inside the cage too, and she could have been torn to pieces.'
He made clear: 'It was an emergency situation for all of us. It was a shock. We do not have many people, we have just two behind the wire fence. We usually work with a water cannon.
'It is needed to quickly bring the animal back to senses.'
In the footage he can be seen shouting for aides to bring water.
'We had to run and bring buckets. I ran around asking to switch off the sound. As soon as it became quiet and water was brought, she woke up.
'The main thing that everything was done to help her recover. We don't know yet what happened to her.'
Spectators clapped as it stood up and soon walked from the ring. But watchers also said there had been cruel laughter from onlookers.
'When the tiger was convulsing, spectators laughed,' said Larissa who took her two children to the circus.
'When the animal defecated, it became clear it was an attack of an illness.
'I have seen the same thing with a dog. Both animal trainers behaved normally, the sister (Karina) was watching the other animals.
'The brother controlled everything and helped the tigress.
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Spectators clapped as it stood up and soon walked from the ring. But watchers also said there had been cruel laughter from onlookers
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Karina - who with her brother is the third generation of a famous Russian circus dynasty - said: 'These things happen to animals. Maybe the blood sugar level dropped'
'Artur beat his whip at the floor to calm down other animals. It was clear that Bagdasarov was anxious. He shouted something to his assistants, he swore.
'And when the tigress woke up, he said – "all is ok, stand up, stand up my girl".'
Karina - who with her brother is the third generation of a famous Russian circus dynasty - said: 'These things happen to animals. Maybe the blood sugar level dropped.
'Perhaps it was blood pressure attack, maybe hormones. We have already called the vets and blood test was taken.
'Our vet is coming from Moscow soon, he will scan Zena's liver and kidneys.'
But the animal appeared to be recovering and is 'eating well' ahead of a new performance on Sunday. Russian social media carried vitriolic criticism.
'You are sadists! Such a dirty occupation. Shame on you,' wrote one critic.
'Please ignore any circuses with animals. These "trainers" are sadists. Animals are very rare in circuses abroad.'
A woman called Irina hit out: 'It is just a horror. Such cruelty. The tigress fainted and he was poking her with a stick….'
Damn, thanks for the story. Those peopleay have saved the tigress' life.
Beat, whipped and poked into jumping thru fire to death...and that's only what the crowd sees..
Finally someone said exactly what I've trying to say for years!White people cause me anxiety.
He was annoyed because they were taking to long and he was trying to keep the other tiger away.Lawd forgive me
but the way that devil pulled his tail repeatedly poked him and looked more angry and annoyed
Never concerned
after they doused that poor animal with buckets of water and the white audience just watched...
the fellow tigers were frozen.
I felt like I was watching the police murder one of US on video.
I never have and never will go to a circus. I don't see anything cool about it
I don't know how they are still afloat. Maybe people like us, old people like us, taking their kids while their kids look at the shit all boredWhen I was coming up that was a big deal if you went Ringling Bros at MSG
I am so surprised an entire GENERATION Of kids seem to have NO real interest for it.
Damn that could've been a heart attack. Won't know for sure until they do a cat scan and autopsy.
I don't know how they are still afloat. Maybe people like us, old people like us, taking their kids while their kids look at the shit all bored
Ol heartless prick, one could tell that the Tiger was having an issues and that his motions weren’t natural.
Lmao wtf are you talking about?Very sad and sadistic. I don't own any pets and i'm not an "animal lover" but I don't think I'll give my money to any business that profits from caging and exploiting wild animals and this is why.
White people cause me anxiety. Imagine how how that tiger felt after years and years of being poked and prodded. The lights the music the entire environment is anxiety to producing. What sort of entertainment is it to see a tiger jump through a ring of fire?
Lmao![]()
He need some milk!!