Forcing bear to perform before match, Russian football gets criticised as inhumane
The Russian football league has been slammed after forcing a muzzled bear to perform clapping and delivering a ball in front of fans before a third division game.
The animal named Tim showed up in the match of Mashuk-KMV vs Angusht. In the video, the bear can be seen wearing a muzzle on his face and standing with its hind legs in order to free its hands to make clapping motions.
The tamer put a football on its hands and Tim returns it to him and claps again.
Elisa Allen, director of animal welfare charity Peta, criticised the clip with concerns to animal rights, "In addition to being inhumane, using a bear as a captive servant to deliver a football is downright dangerous.
"The bear is the symbol of Russia, so we hope the country's people will show some compassion and national pride and stop abusing them. Common decency should compel the league to pull this stunt."
While the country is the host of the 2018 World Cup starting in June, football becomes the spotlight in Russia.