Terrifying: Video Shows Huge Black Bear Knocks Handler To The Ground During Live Circus Show | WATCH

Viral: During a performance in Russia on Wednesday, a circus bear attacked its handler in front of shocked audiences. The traveling show was held at Olonets, in the northwest Russian Republic of Karelia. The bear was part of an act titled "Clubfoot and the Garden Wheelbarrow" that took place in a circus tent full of seated spectators, some of whom were children. 

The bear is seen in the footage carrying a wheelbarrow and then strolling straight ahead on the mat with its handler. The handler is knocked to the ground as it lunges at them. A second member of the circus crew charges forward, kicking the bear in the shoulder. The spectators, seated in proximity to the ring with no partition separating them, are screaming. The bear eventually became calm. No one was hurt, not even the audience members or the handler. 

The bear belonged to the handler, a circus spokeswoman told the reporters, and the act had been removed from the show. "We made the decision to part ways with the artist following the incident, and the act will no longer be featured on the program," she stated. “Nothing serious has happened; the bear and the artist are both fine; no one killed the bear because it was not at fault.”

Even though the video was older, it has over a million views and many likes after "Nature Is Amazing" was released today. The video has the description, "Circus Bear attacks handler." A user said, "That bear did the right thing. The animals don't belong to the circus, they belong to live in freedom in nature." The statement "This is why circuses should be banned!" was made by another user.  

Animal abuse and exploitation have been charged against numerous circus acts in recent years, drawing criticism towards the shows. Several US states have started to openly forbid performing acts involving wild or exotic animals. New Jersey, Illinois, and New York have laws that forbid using elephants in performances. There are indications that the long-standing popularity of animal circus performances in Russia may be changing. For moral concerns, the mayor of a southern Russian city has outlawed the use of wild animals in circuses.