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\nA black bear at a zoo in China attacked its handler ahead of a live performanceCrowds filmed the shocking moment the bear lunged at the man multiple times at the Hangzhou Safari ParkThe trainer later claimed that the bear was simply going after his bag of carrots<\/p>\n
Visitors at a zoo in China got more than they bargained for on Saturday, Dec. 6.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
As a handler was leading a black bear to the stage at Hangzhou Safari Park<\/a>, which is located in the province of Zhejiang, about two hours south of Shanghai, the bear attacked the man.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Onlookers filmed the shocking moment as multiple employees attempted to step in and force the bear off of the handler. In a video shared by Newsflare, per the Associated Press, one appeared to be wielding a basketball hoop and backboard, trying to push the bear away, while another had a stack of stools. Another employee also hit the bear with a large bamboo stick, while one man even tried to pull the bear off with one hand while holding a parrot in the other.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The handler is seen breaking free from the bear and standing up, only to approach the animal again in an effort to get him backstage. Once again, the bear lunged at the man and multiple park employees had to fend him off.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The bear and his handler during the incident.<\/p>\n Newsflare<\/p>\n Finally the bear was carried backstage and the crowd was told the show would be suspended, per the AP.\n<\/p>\n Trainer Zhou Jiazhen was bitten by the bear, whose name is Xiong Er, but claimed that the animal did not intend to harm him. Jiazhen said that the bear \u2014 whom he raised from a young age \u2014 was being greed and simply wanted his bag of carrots.\n<\/p>\n Multiple employees attempted to stop the attack.<\/p>\n Newsflare<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\n<\/p>\n “If it really wanted to attack, I wouldn’t be standing here now,” Jiazhen said, per the outlet.\n<\/p>\n However, despite the innocent bear behavior, the Hangzhou Safari Park has moved Xiong Er to a different, larger feeding area in the mountains and the bear will no longer participate in behavioral displays.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n One employee appeared to use a basketball hoop and backboard in an attempt to help get the bear off his handler.<\/p>\n Newsflare<\/p>\n While he might not be doing displays with Xiong Er, Jiazhen said that he regularly visits the bear.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n PEOPLE has reached out to Hangzhou Safari Park for comment.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The safari park\u2019s Weibo account shared that neither the trainer nor the bear was injured during the incident, per Global News<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n