Russian bear tamer Ivan Yarovoy lost nine of his ten bears, who died of smoke inhalation during a tour in Turkey, the head of the Russian state circus company Rosgostsirk said on Thursday.
The animals died when smoke filled a hangar they were being kept in, presumably after an electrical short circuit.
"Our workers, who take care of the animals day and night, tried to rescue the bears, to take them out of the smoke-filled room, but it was too late. They had already inhaled too much smoke, and unlike humans, they are sensitive to it. Only one bear survived," Rosgostsirk chief Alexander Kalmykov said.
"This tragedy is to be blamed fully on the Turkish side, which, of course, will compensate for the financial damage. But it's not about material losses, it's mostly moral damage - nine innocent souls have died, this is what is really terrible," he added.
Russian circus performers have staged shows in Ankara for 15 years on an invitation from the City Hall.
