A tigress jumped out to the audience at a circus in Rostov-on-Don and ran outside

During a performance at the circus tent in Rostov-on-Don, a tigress jumped out of the ring to the audience, then ran outside, and then returned back. This was reported to Izvestia on April 20 by eyewitness Marina Murzova.

She clarified that there was a problem during the performance — the fence that restrained the animals came down, and one of the predators jumped out into the aisle to the audience.

"A two-meter-tall tiger jumped into the auditorium, into the aisle. After that, he ran outside, ran there and returned to the gym," Murzova said.

It is specified that for 10-15 minutes the predator walked around the hall, ran between people and along the rows. According to Murzova, the fence was very low, so not one tiger could jump out, but all of them.

"We were told into the microphone, 'Keep calm, keep quiet and don't panic.' Which was very difficult to do when a two hundred kilogram animal was walking nearby. <...> We took the children off the stands one by one, and led them out while the trainer held the tiger on the upper stand. It was very scary," Marina explained.

Upon the incident, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements"). As part of the investigation, the staff will assess whether the safety rules were followed during the show with the participation of dangerous animals. The management and staff of the circus will be questioned.

Necessary examinations have been appointed to determine the causes of the fall of the protective net and the exit of the predator into the auditorium.

Victoria Dovgalyuk, a representative of the dynasty of trainers, said on April 19 that a tigress who took part in a program prepared by the circus performers in Rostov-on-Don jumped out of the ring during the show. The incident was recorded in a building located on Nagibin Avenue. The reason for this behavior of the animal, as explained by the interlocutor of Izvestia, was the fright he experienced from the collapse of the net separating him from the audience.