Animal abuse seems incomprehensible to me. But animal abuse when it is for the entertainment of others touches an even bigger nerve.
Of course when I was younger I liked to go to the circus and see the animals, after all for many it’s the only way we can get close to wild animals. But as I got older I realized that the right of animals to live in peace and freedom in their own environment is much more important than forcing them to entertain humans outside of their natural habitat.
This is a story about a tiger who lost consciousness while it was performing at a circus show in Russia. It’s causing a mixed reaction from some who are shocked by what they see and others who don’t think the circus trainer did anything wrong.
The very idea that a wild animal performs in a circus is controversial in itself with many countries banning circuses.
The footage caused an outcry among animal activists and watching these trainers use sticks to force tigers to jump through rings of fire is hard for me to watch.
The tamer Artur Bagdasarov, protagonist of a video, which has gone viral on YouTube, is seen hitting and teasing the tigers as they perform for the audience.
In the video we see the tigress jumping and then falling down after losing consciousness. Attempts are then made to revive the tiger.
The sad circus incident occurred on September 23 and the 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.
The distressing footage then shows Bagdasarov hit the tiger, throw water over him and pull his tail before a shocked audience.
Handler Bagdasarov has defended his actions saying he had to act quickly as he feared the other tigers would attack the weakened animal causing a bloodbath, according to an article in The Daily Mail.
See for yourself in the video below, but be warned some viewers may find this upsetting.
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/bRbT3Rp7bGw” /]
What do you think of the circus in general and the way the tiger tamer handled what was clearly a distressing and dangerous situation?
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