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A circus bear that mauled a pregnant trainer in front of screaming children and their parents at a Russian circus may have attacked because it was 'jealous' of the woman's unborn child.
The brown bear lunged at the woman during a circus act with two trainers and another bear in Oryol, western Russia.
She survived with only cuts and bruises and said her unborn child was unharmed.
The trainer said: 'Perhaps it was jealousy to some extent, since I am pregnant.
'There can be many nuances.
'I literally have two scratches and a slight bruise on my leg.
'I will, of course, deal with this incident with more experienced colleagues.
'With the animal everything is fine and my baby, all is normal.'
'At the moment the bear behaves to me the same way as usual, affectionately and fondly again as if nothing happened.'
A male brown bear mauled a pregnant trainer during a circus act in Oryol, western Russia, in front of screaming children and their parents
The pregnant trainer had motioned for the bear to put its paw on a pole. The bear initially obeyed the trainer, who was wearing a bright blue dress and golden high heels
The trainer said the bear may have been 'jealous' of her unborn child. Soon after putting its paw on the pole it took hold of her instead
The other trainer, who was wearing a long golden suit, and a staff member in a red polo shirt, rushed to help her
As soon as the male brown bear started to maul the woman in the bright blue dress as two men rushed to free her from its grasp.
However, the male bear did not back off despite 'blows with a whip', one audience member said.
The bloodied circus performer was rushed to hospital after the terrifying incident in Oryol, which is 225 miles south of Moscow.
The men grappled with the bear as they tried to free the pregnant trainer. People from the town said the bear was agitated and disturbed as it waited in a cage before the show
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