Chaos broke out at a circus in Russia after one of three performing tigers suddenly leapt into the crowd and into seats after a safety net suddenly dropped as children and adults began to panic
16:45, 19 Apr 2026Updated 16:46, 19 Apr 2026
A tiger jumped into a circus crowd after a circular net suddenly fell(Image: East2West)
A trip to the circus turned into one of panic after one of the performing tigers suddenly leaped into the crowd in the big top today (April 19).
The Russian circus in Rostov-on-Don saw a safety net suddenly drop, which spooked the three of the performing tigers and saw one jump out of the circle stage.
Panicked children and their parents evacuated the main ten as organises urged everyone to remain calm and stay in their seats so the escaped big cat would not be even more scared.
Shocking footage shows the moment the act turned to terror with the three performing tigers when the safety net surrounding the ring suddenly lowers. One of the man-eating beasts jumps into the audience leading to screams from spectators.
Initial reports indicated that, miraculously, there were no casualties but screams can be heard from kids in the footage.
The moment before the safety net collapsed (Image: east2west news)
The circular netting was pulled up almost immediately, but too late because the tiger has escaped.
“The performance started at 3pm, and the net suddenly fell,” said a report.
“The tigers got scared, started fighting, and one jumped out into the audience. Children were screaming, adults running in panic.”
A source said: “The tiger immediately ran out onto the street and came back in a couple of seconds.
“People panicked, so staff began to calm them down and started evacuating the seats closest to the tiger. The animal was running through the rows of seats where there were no people at all.
As staff tried to raise the safety net, one tiger climbed on the ring ledge above(Image: east2west news)
Yet more footage shows people sitting astonishingly close to the tiger as a single tamer seeks to catch the beast.
The spectators showed remarkable calmness as the deadly tiger roamed nearby seats. The escaped big cat was eventually caught by its keepers, reports said.
The incident was at the popular Dovgaluk Circus, and it is likely to lead to more pressure for a ban on performing wild animals in Russian circuses. There are also specific safety concerns over this event.
The travelling circus boasted that it had tigers, lions and “other majestic animals”.
One spectator said: “It was a miracle that no-one was hurt by this runaway tiger. This might have been a real massacre by a scared wild animal.”
Spectators were urged to remain in their seats as the tiger roamed the area as others ran out(Image: east2west news)
Circus director Nikolai Dovgaluk said: “The trainer put a collar on the tiger, led it to the enclosure, and brought it in without incident.
“It’s not that there was 100% no threat to the audience, but these are tame tigers, meaning they’re trained like tame animals.
“The most important thing is that there was no panic, and therefore, there was no incident because of that.”
He blamed the net falling on “employee error” and a “coincidence”.
“It’s impossible to even say anyone was directly at fault,” he claimed.
Spectators were earlier told to expect “a grand show where the strength and grace of predators come together with the magic of a true circus….
“It’s time to see the circus as it should be.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
