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Disturbing video shows bears being forced to BOX on their hind legs in front of a laughing audience at cruel Russian circus

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Disturbing footage has captured the sickening moment two bears were forced to box one another on their hind legs in front of a laughing audience at a cruel Russian circus. 

The wild beasts - removed from their natural habitats - can be seen dressed in shorts and wearing boxing gloves in shocking videos shared online.

The animals are made to perform in boxing rings under fluorescent lights in front of large and loud audiences in resorts like Sochi on the Black Sea. 

Horror video captured by an audience member at one bout act showed two bears fighting each other - each with a circus trainer gripping onto a rope attached to the large predators in an effort to keep them under control.

Bright spotlights glare down onto the brown bears who are then forced into the centre of the ring, before they begin pushing and shoving one another.

Shocking footage captured the moment two brown bears were forced to fight in a boxing ring at a Russian circus

Shocking footage captured the moment two brown bears were forced to fight in a boxing ring at a Russian circus 

The bears were seen punching one another
One bear wore yellow shorts while another wore a patterned pair

The bears can be seen wearing shorts as they stand under the venue's fluorescent lights and fight in front of hundreds of cheering audience members

The video showed the animals being dragged by a handler back into corners of the boxing ring by a rope before they began their next round of righting

The video showed the animals being dragged by a handler back into corners of the boxing ring by a rope before they began their next round of righting

They butt heads and swing their paws while standing on their hind legs, terrifyingly reaching almost the same height as their trainers.  

After a few moments, they are reigned back into their opposite corners of the ring while the crowd cheers and claps, preparing for the next round.  

Then a third, taller bear,, runs into the ring to play the role of a boxing attendant.

This bear, donning striped shorts, returns later with flowers for the champion.

Another video of the circus act shows the two large bears wearing boxing gloves fighting each other as all the circus lights are switched on.

Hundreds of people can be seen gathered around the stage as they wait in anticipation to see how the fight unfolds.

They can be seen leaping towards each other while standing on their hind legs, throwing furious punches as two handlers attempt to stop the bout from spiralling into something potentially more violent and deadly.

Following an increasing number of reports of this 'cruelty', and as more shocking footage of such events is shared online, animal lovers are calling for the practice to be demolished.

A petition from Russian animal rights campaigner Yuri Koretskikh against such cruel spectacles has been signed by more than 116,000 people.

It picked out a bear boxing performance at the Sochi Circus and said: 'The [circus] trainers considered such an animal fight funny, but the audience did not appreciate their creative idea and on social networks demanded that the organisers be charged with cruelty to animals.

'This video once again colourfully tells us about the level of degradation of circus art in Russia and about the real attitude of trainers towards animals.'

Another video of the cruel fight shows the animals fighting under the bright circus lights in front of a large audience

Another video of the cruel fight shows the animals fighting under the bright circus lights in front of a large audience

They crash and knock into each other as their handlers move around the ring in an attempt to stop the fight from becoming too violent

They crash and knock into each other as their handlers move around the ring in an attempt to stop the fight from becoming too violent

Yuri Koretskikh, an animal rights activist started an online petition against bear boxing in Russian circuses which has been signed by over 116,000 people

Yuri Koretskikh, an animal rights activist started an online petition against bear boxing in Russian circuses which has been signed by over 116,000 people

The petition demands legislation 'to ban the use of animals in circuses'.

On social media one survey of commenters showed 349 angry reactions, with 116 upset, and 23 crying.

However, circuses remain popular in Russia, and animals are traditionally a central element of performances.

Koretskikh heads the Russian Alliance of Animal Protectors which said: 'While modern world circus art is rapidly moving towards humanity, banning the use of animals in circuses, the Russian circus lobby is actively resisting progress, defending its commercial interests.'

Recent polls show that the majority of respondents 'no longer want to see animals suffer in circuses', said the campaign.

It comes after the Kremlin was last year condemned for using a 'horrific' animal circus to entertain Ukrainian war orphans in Mariupol.

Propaganda films showed beavers, bears and bison performing tricks. State news agencies claimed it brought residents 'happiness, love and joy' in 'difficult times'. 

Videos showed a bear dancing with a hoop at the Russian State Circus, a beaver flying on a trapeze while apparently urinating in distress, and beavers pulling a carriage of ducks.

Marie Struthers, of Amnesty International, said at the time: 'There's something grotesque about Russian authorities using a circus to try to normalise their occupation.'

The cruel history of dancing and performing bears in Europe and Asia 

In the Middle Ages, dancing or performing bears were a common form of entertainment in Europe and Asia.

They often featured in travelling circuses or individual performances, with the majority of trainers being Romany people from Eastern Europe.

Performing bears remained a common sight in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia well into the twentieth century, despite incremental efforts to introduce bans.

The bears were captured as cubs from the Himalayas, the Middle East and the jungles of the Indian sub-continent then trained to dance and perform tricks.

Often the cub's mother would be killed in the process of capturing the young bear. This practice continues in Siberia to this day.

The process of preparing the bear for training often involved inflicting great pain on the animal through removing its teeth, cutting its claws and inserting a metal ring into its nose.

During training, a rope attached to the nose ring would be yanked painfully and sometimes sticks and whips were also used to coax the bear into performing.

To create the illusion of dancing, the trainer would play music while the bear stood on a hot metal platform lifting one paw after another to avoid being burned. Subsequently, whenever the bear heard the same music, it would begin to 'dance'.

A number of organisations are working to have performances featuring bears banned and to place the animals in sanctuaries, however the practice continues in some countries and even once rescued, bears often suffer from mental and physical ailments that result in an early death.

Sources: Bearconservation.org.uk, Dancing Bears: True Stories of People Nostalgic for Life Under Tyranny - Witold Szablowski

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