The astonishing footage captures a rare Asian black bear leaving spectators in shock after unexpectedly attacking and pinning a performer to the ground during a circus act.

The video showed the bear named Xiong Xiong and two artists standing on stage in a circus in the city of Huzhou, in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, on 13th February.

But just seconds later the clip depicts the animal suddenly tackling one of the performers to the ground, as the second one rushed to help his colleague break free from the bear’s grip.

Chinese media revealed that it took up to six circus staff to rescue the artist and place the bear in its cage, as stunned spectators watched in awe.

The video triggered many comments by netizens after it was shared on China’s version of TikTok, Douyin, after it was shared later that day.

Douyin user ‘Mr. Z the Raccoon’ said: “There should be no animal shows…”

Then user ‘Second brother, his second brother’ commented: “This little bear is so disturbed. I can only imagine how much abuse it has suffered.”

And ‘Yoyo Good Things Selection’ added: “Cancel animal performances, they are so sad to watch!”

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) also known as the white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear native to Asia.

It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Populations are predominantly endangered by deforestation and poaching for their body parts, which are used in traditional medicine.