Ice-skating Bear in Russia Kills One, Injures Another

Bears on Ice-skates

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryburn/ / CC BY 2.0

I’ve never seen a bear on ice skates before, but the thought of an ice-skating bear looks pretty hilarious. Imagine all the trouble you would have to go through to get the bear in skates, let alone teaching it how to use them. This story, however, is not as amusing as the thought I had in mind. And it’s definitely not your typical payday loan story.

Bear Attacks and Kills a Circus Director

In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, a circus bear on skates killed one person and injured another, according to CNN. Dmitri Potapov, a visiting circus director, was killed during rehearsals for an ice-skating show on Thursday. Potapov was dragged across the ice by the neck, nearly severing one of his legs. Another circus employee was injured as he tried to stop the attack. The man suffered bruising to the brain and lacerations to his scalp.

According to the report, it is not clear at this time why the bear attacked Potapov. The 5-year-old bear was later taken down by police officials and examined by experts. The Russian state circus has a long reputation of training bears to do tricks on skates, motorcycles, and even to play sports like hockey. Fatal deaths from bears are unusual. However, this brings back to mind the real danger behind wild animals.

Kelly Ann Walz and her Pet Bear

Let’s consider Kelly Ann Walz for a moment. Kelly had a pet black bear which she kept in a steel and concrete cage near her home in Pennsylvania. A pet bear! That’s enough to leave you in need of a payday loan every so often. One day, however, while cleaning out the animal’s cage, Kelly Ann Walz was attacked by the 350-pound bear. Both the owner and her 350-pound black bear are now dead.

Wild Animals – Born to be Wild

Sure, you can seize them and train them to perform tricks, but how long will it take before their natural instincts kick in? In truth, circus animals are deprived of their basic needs. They want to socialize and roam with their kind, in the wild where they belong. It will only be a matter of time before they break the chains and run.