Circus Worker Mauled by Tiger in Front of Shocked Audience Loses His Arm: Reports

A circus worker in Egypt has reportedly had his arm amputated following a mid-show tiger attack.

A video that has since gone viral showed the tiger mauling the man’s arm as the audience screamed in horror at the circus in the city of Tanta, which is located between Cairo and Alexandria, according to footage shared by TMZ and multiple local outlets including Al-Ahram.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 1, and involved a white tiger, Al-Ahram reported. The circus worker later had his arm amputated above the elbow in the hospital, the outlet added.

The victim underwent a four-hour surgery at Tanta University Emergency Hospital, the paper continued, and reported that the Tanta Public Prosecutor’s office had since “ordered the suspension of circus activities,” stating that all local Tanta circus animals would be inspected, citing the Veterinary Medicine Authority. 

The accident site has reportedly been inspected, according to Al-Ahram. It added that authorities had also reviewed CCTV footage and interviewed the victim and eyewitnesses from the audience.

Lion and tiger trainer, Anousa Kouta, was present at the time of the incident and said that the tiger attacked after the man put his arm inside the enclosure, according to the Arab Times.

Kouta added that the tiger involved would be “removed from performances and sent for retraining” in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, the Arab Times reported.

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The trainer insisted no audience members were harmed in the incident, and that all circus staff had been accounted for, per Al-Ahram. She added that she remained by the injured man’s side “to monitor his condition” in the hospital, the outlet added. The circus performance was reportedly immediately halted following the attack.

Anosa Kouta and the General Organization for Veterinary Services in Egypt (G.O.V.S) didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.