Lion Mauls Circus Trainer During Performance In Front Of Horrified Audience

A circus trainer was viscously attacked by a lion in front of horrified audience during a performance in Ukraine on Wednesday.

Hamada Kouta, 32, a well-known performer from Egypt, was pinned to the ground by one of the three lions in the ring during the performance. The lion eventually went back into its cage after a stand-off.

Video of the incident, captured by an audience member, showed the lion aggressively running towards Kouta and pinning him to the ground. The lion then sinks its teeth into the trainer’s arm before Kouta fights back and sends the big cat back to its cage. Kouta suffered claw and bite marks on his body after the lion mauled his arm, leg and back.

“I called up one lion, and the second one attacked me from the front. I stopped him in the middle of the ring calmed him down but he refused to return to his sitting position. I stepped backwards, there was a stand behind me, I hit it and fell,” Kouta said, Metro reported.

“The lion jumped at me and bit me – but thank God not on my neck. He immediately let me go. My back, arm and leg were hurt. Scars from two claws and one tooth are on my leg, tooth marks on my arm, one 4 cm deep from three claws on my back,” he added.

Kouta admitted that the animals were unsettled as they started the performance as soon as they arrived at the location.

“They did not have time to adapt, because we arrived and immediately began to perform. They were in stress, so it led to attack. They can be moody, like people. For example, you can wake up in the morning in the bad mood. That’s it, the whole day will be like this. They are just the same,” he said.

Despite getting hurt, Kouta said he still trusted his lions.

“When an animal attacks a trainer, it is 99 per cent the trainer’s mistake. Anyway, they are my children, so I know anything can happen. But it will never end with death, because they are my children. I know them and I trust them more than I trust people. It was all right, I calmed down the spectators and we went on,” he said.