Russian football team slammed for forcing circus BEAR to deliver match ball just weeks before World Cup

A RUSSIAN football team have been slammed by animal rights activists for using a bear to deliver a pre-match ball.

The grizzly bear, known as Tim, is a circus animal who was trained to give the ball to the referee before the third-tier game between Mashuk-KMV and Angusht in Pyatigorsk.

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A Youtube video uploaded by the club shows the visibly distressed bear stood on his back legs whilst clapping to fans as he was egged on by his trainer.

Football team Angusht claimed on their Facebook page that Tim was going to be used in the opening ceremony of the Word Cup, a claim FIFA have been quick to distance themselves from.

The video is the latest in a long line of criticism Russia have faced before the tournament which starts in a few weeks on June 14.

Elisa Allen, director of PETA and animal welfare charity, branded the performance as "inhumane" and labelled the club "out of touch".

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She told : "In addition to being inhumane and utterly out of touch, using a bear as a captive servant to deliver a football is downright dangerous.

"The bear is the symbol of Russia, so we hope the country's people will show some compassion and national pride and stop abusing them.

"Common decency should compel the league to pull this stunt."

Other animal rights activists have joined her in condemning the use of the bear to bring in the pre-match ball.

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Brian da Cal, country director of Four Paws UK, added: "While some supposedly find this depressing scene 'entertaining' there is nothing at all light-hearted about this kind of abuse.

"Bears are wild animals and as such have very specific and complex needs.

"Being chained up, muzzled and forced to perform unnatural acts in front of large, rowdy crowds of people causes tremendous stress and can have an untold impact on these animals, both psychological and physical."

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