Police have launched a probe into a circus leopard attack on a boy in the Moscow Region, the local Investigative Committee said on Monday.
Caesar the leopard mauled the seven-year-old son of two circus employees after a performance in the town of Domodedovo, south of Moscow, on Saturday.
The boy, who suffered a massive loss of blood, underwent two surgeries and is currently “in serious but stable condition,” according to medics.
The police will make "a legal assessment of the actions of those taking care of the animals and responsible for the safety of staff and visitors," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
The leopard’s trainer admitted to the Moskovsky Konsomolets daily that the leopard’s cage was not firmly closed but blamed the boy’s parents for allowing him backstage.
“My Caesar is not aggressive but like all leopards he dislikes dogs and children. He is absolutely not dangerous,” the trainer said.
The boy’s father told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that the family would not sue the leopard’s owner.
