An outing to a circus should be a fun time out for a family. But when there are wild animals involved, it can always go wrong, even if they’re incredibly well-trained. The family of a Russian toddler is now grappling with the consequences of exposing their child to wild circus animals.
During a trip to a local circus, the little one was savagely attacked by a panther who got loose. But investigators are still trying to figure out if the animal is even a part of the show, or how it got there.
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The boy and his father went to the circus grounds together.
A 3-year-old boy named Vova and his father went to circus grounds in Angarsk, Russia. The circus was not open that day, reported the Daily Mail. The father had a friend who has a connection to the Wild Drive Circus. While the toddler posed with the large cat, the father convinced the friend to open the cage, allowing the panther to attack the little one.
The boy's mother was clueless.
The toddler’s mother claimed that her ex-husband had picked their son up from nursery school.
She said she had no idea where he was taking him. “I was not aware of this. Naturally, I would not have let the child go,” she said, per the Daily Mail.
It was a horrifying experience for the toddler.
“As far as I understand, he has friends there at the circus,” the mother said of her ex-husband. “They released the panther from the cage, and it attacked my son. He was crying, his head was covered in blood, there was blood all around.”
Daily Mail cited Russian news outlet Readovka, which interviewed a witness who said, “When the mother picked up [Vova], he was covered in blood. It was hard for her to watch, but the child had to be held in her arms.”
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The little boy seems to be recovering well.
The little one got stitches on the side of his head and face. He also had bite marks on his back. Doctors kept him in the hospital for some time to observe him and make sure that he didn’t have rabies from the panther bite. The U.S. Sun shared photos from Russian outlets showing the boy all bandaged up and playing with toys in the hospital.
It is unknown what will happen next.
According to reports, the panther didn’t belong to the circus and wasn’t a part of any performances. It seems the father’s friend owns the big cat. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case.
If convicted, the panther’s owner faces up to six years in prison for negligence involving a child. Currently, it is unknown if prosecutors will charge boy’s father for his role in the incident.
