Shocking moment lion clamps its teeth down on keeper's throat and drags him across a circus ring as families scream in terror

A lion tamer is presently in a critical state following an attack from a lion during a circus on Sunday.

The shocking moment the lion attacked the keeper was captured on camera and left viewers horrified after it was shared on social media. The distressing scenes show the moment the lion locked its jaws around the 34-year-old tamer's throat.
The male cat then dragged its victim around the circus ring as terrified families screamed in terror - children included - and rushed out of their seats. The incident happened midway through a show in
Doullens, northern France on Sunday afternoon.

The arena was pumped with smoke to distract the lion, who lost sight, letting its victim scramble to safety. The man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries where he underwent a five-hour surgery and is currently recovering.  He will remain in the hospital for the next few days for doctors to enable medics to observe him closely.

The person who captured the video and shared it on Facebook described how the day had ended in horror. She wrote: "It's my girl who screams in the video, she cried all night."

A representative for the circus said the tamer had been working with lions for years. According to Francebleu, he has been left bewildered by the attack having raised and trained the animal himself, never having had a problem before. Relatives of the victim reportedly said the lion will stay at the circus and resume his performances when his tamer has recovered.

"The young lion is well treated, well fed and there is no question of euthanasia," they said.