The sickening footage of where two bears were forced to box one another on their hind legs in front of a laughing audience at a cruel Russian circus is shared online.

Details of the Bout

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. 

Each bear with a circus trainer gripping onto a rope attached to the large predators in an effort to keep them under control.

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.

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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 Almost Got Violent

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.

Animal lovers are now calling for such practice of ‘animal cruelty’ 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.