This is the shocking moment a black bear pinned down and bit a trainer after seeing popcorn being spilled in the audience during a circus show in China.

Shocked spectators at the Colorful Haichao Happy World Circus in the district of Wenjiang, in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, began shouting in panic when the wild animal suddenly attacked the man.

A video recorded by one of the guests shows the tamer leading the bear as it rode a hoverboard when it suddenly lost balance and tackled him on Sunday, December 10.

The footage further shows how the bear tackled the man and began biting his leg, as he struggled to break free from its grip.

Seconds later, the animal can be seen grabbing his leg with its paws and refusing to let go. At the end of the video, he finally managed to escape after pushing the bear away as two security staff rushed to help him.

The circus told local media that the incident happened after the bear saw a child from the audience spill popcorn during the performance, and wanted to eat it.

Circus bosses claimed that they have never had similar incidents in their shows and that the bears were properly fed before the performance that day.

They added that nobody was injured during the incident.

Bears are still used in circus shows throughout China, where they often perform tricks like riding bicycles or balancing on balls. However, animal rights groups have raised concerns about cruel training methods, unnatural living conditions and the exploitation of cubs.