What’s not mentioned is the bear completed a perfect triple-axel right before the incident:

The bear, who was wearing ice-skates when the incident occurred, attacked 25-year-old circus director Dmitry Potapov, dragging him across the ice rink by his neck and nearly severing one of his legs before relenting.

Link: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/skating bear kills Russian state circus/2137660/story.html