Circus lions kill drunk trainer

A RUSSIAN animal trainer, who left the door to the lion cage open when he was drunk, has been attacked and killed by the animals.

The lion tamer had left the latch to the cage door open, and only realised the lions had escaped when he went to his trailer to get another bottle of vodka.

Dimitri Pavlov, 41, then raised the alarm and tried to round the animals up, but he was killed when they turned on him.

His assistant, who had also been drinking, called emergency services but as a result of a misunderstanding, police sent armed officers to the Moscow Central Zoo instead of the sports stadium in the Sergiyev-Possad district, 35 miles north east of the capital where the lions were performing as part of a travelling circus.

When they finally arrived on the scene, police opened fire on a lion as it devoured the dead trainer. A second lion, nearby, was also shot and killed.

It is the second such incident within a year in the Moscow region. Last spring, a runaway lion attacked and critically injured a 12-year-old girl in the suburb of Odinzovo.

Most circuses touring Russia are poor and basic safety regulations are often flouted, according to police.

Animal rights campaigners have called on the Russian government to impose tighter restrictions on circuses.