Circus Tiger Leaps into Crowd After Malfunction

An escaped tiger caused panic at a circus in Rostov-on-Don on Sunday after a mechanical malfunction. Footage shows the animal leaping into the spectator area when a protective net unexpectedly dropped. The incident led to a scene of confusion and fear, with audience members seen screaming and running.

Eyewitnesses described the chaos, with one person stating that children were screaming and adults were running in panic. Another reported the big cat briefly running through empty rows of seats before being found near the tent. Fortunately, the tiger was safely recaptured by its trainer, and no injuries were reported.

Circus officials attributed the net's fall to employee error and coincidence, emphasizing that the tigers are trained and tame. Despite the scare, the director noted that no one was harmed due to the absence of panic. Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a probe into potential safety violations.