This is the terrifying moment a lion suddenly attacked a circus trainer in front of a large audience of children and parents.
The crowd screamed in fear as well-known Hamada Kouta was overpowered by an irate big cat which sank its teeth into his arm and clawed him.
A video shows how the 32-year-old artiste was floored by the beast which suddenly turned aggressive in the ring.
His arm, leg and back were mauled and clawed.
The lion can be seen mauling and clawing at Hamada Kouta, 32, as he lies on the floor of the circus in Lubansk, in rebel-held Ukraine
Kouta starts backing off as the angry big cat comes after him as other circus workers watch on with concern
The crowd are heard shrieking in the background as the lion overwhelms Kouta and takes him down
The horrific attack was mid-act in a circus performance in Lugansk, a city in rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
Kouta - from Egypt who has worked in Russian circuses for many years - fought off the lion which then retreated.
He then faced up to it as the predator eyed him for a new attack.
Finally, the big cat retreated and ran out of the ring to its cage.
A mother watching with her two children said: 'My heart stopped when the lion pounced at the trainer.'
Kouta's arm is heavily lacerated and puncture wounds can be seen on his chest after the lion attacked
A few seconds on the floor was all it took for the lion's huge claws to tear through Kouta's skin
'I called up one lion, and the second one attacked me from the front,' said Kouta afterwards as he showed his scratches.
'I stopped him in the middle of the ring calmed him down but he refused to return to his sitting position. I stepped backwards, there was a stand behind me, I hit it and fell.
'The lion jumped at me and bit me - but thank God not on my neck. He immediately let me go. My back, arm and leg were hurt.
'Scars from two claws and one tooth are on my leg, tooth marks on my arm, one 4 centimetres
