SHOCKING/ The 3-year-old is brutally attacked by a panther, the cause is his father!

A three-year-old boy has been attacked by a panther at a circus in Russia after his father convinced friends to free the animal from its cage. The terrified child suffered serious injuries to his face, head, back and legs.

The boy, named Vova, had been taken by his father to see the circus animals on a day when there was no show in Angarsk, south-central Russia. He was posing with a panther at the Wild Drive circus when the beast suddenly attacked him.

The toddler was rushed to hospital where he needed stitches for multiple wounds and was kept for observation amid fears of a rabies risk. Photos revealed he suffered horrific head and face injuries and required several stitches. The boy's mother Svetlana said that her ex-husband had taken the child from the nursery and taken him to the circus. 'I was not aware of this. Of course, I would not let the child go. As far as I understand, he has friends there at the circus. They released the panther from the cage and it attacked my son. He was crying, his head was covered in blood, there was blood all around.

The mother has denounced the circus. Circus acts include aerial gymnasts, exotic animals, magicians, motorcycle stunts and clowns along with animals including crocodiles. But a representative said they didn't have a panther in their performance. However, media reports said the panther belonged to one of the circus performers and was shown to the boy when his father took him to see the animals. A criminal case has been opened against the circus by the Russian Investigative Committee. If convicted, the panther's owner could face up to six years in prison for neglect involving a child.

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