A tiger escaped into the audience during a circus performance in Rostov-on-Don after a protective net around the ring collapsed.
The animal walked among spectators for some time as staff asked the crowd over the public address system to remain calm, the Rostov-on-Don-based news outlet 161.Ru reported. The tiger was then driven outside, where trainers guided it into a special container. No spectators or circus staff were injured.
The press service of the Russian federal investigating authority for the Rostov region stated that a criminal case has been opened on charges of providing services that fail to meet safety requirements. The base version of the charge carries a penalty of a fine of up to 300,000 rubles, forced labor, or restriction of freedom or imprisonment for up to 2 years.
The incident occurred at the Dovgalyuk Dynasty Circus, a non-stationary venue on the grounds of the DonExpoCenter exhibition complex. The circus’s website states that its program includes a “Predator Attraction” act led by Victoria and Vitaly Dovgalyuk, featuring three tigers and a lioness.
Rostov-on-Don has a permanent venue, the Rostov State Circus. During the Wagner Group mutiny in June 2023, a tank belonging to the Russian state-funded paramilitary organization stood at the gates of that circus — footage that was widely circulated.
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