Lion attacks circus tamer during show; tamer says it’s his fault
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The audience screamed with horror when a circus tamer was attacked by a lion during a performance in Ukraine, leaving the man bloodied from bites and scratches as he continued the show.
Trainer Hamada Kouta was attacked by a circus lion during a show last March 23, as per The Epoch Times. In an Instagram post by local actor Edgard Zapashny, Kouta was seen struggling to control the big cat as it pinned him down in front of the audience.
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The bloodied trainer was shown standing back up after the attack to calm the audience down. Kouta then resumed the performance and started from the beginning, as per Louga 24 on April 2 via the report.
“I calmly called them back, because there were children in the audience,” he said. “The most important thing for me is to see children in the audience.”
Kouta, however, does not blame the animal, saying that it was his fault and the lions were his “children.” He also stated that his trust in the lions still remains.
“When there are attacks on trainers, 99 percent are the trainer’s fault. For example, this attack was my mistake, because I missed the moment,” he was quoted as saying.
The lions were supposedly unsettled during the performance because they were not given enough time to adjust to the new location. According to the report, they should be given at least three days to adjust before the performance.
“They did not have time to adapt, because we arrived and immediately began to perform,” the circus tamer said.
Kouta received a 4 centimeter-deep scratch on the back, and bite marks on his leg and his arm, yet he remained unfazed as he reportedly received 72 stitches on his stomach before, according to CIXD via The Epoch Times.
“Every scar for me is an experience,” he added. “Because when such attacks occur, this cannot be repeated.” Casey Eridio/JB
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