FLORIDA - A tiger was hit violently after it was seen possibly attacking a trainer at a fair in the United States.

Children visiting the fair witnessed the incident, and one took a video on a tablet computer.

Mr Scott Caputo, who uploaded footage on Tuesday (Oct 25), said the video was shot by his daughter.

The tiger, Gandhi, appeared to be scratching trainer Vicenta Pages, who fell as the tiger came at her.

There was also a smaller white tiger in the cage.

A second trainer, David Donnert, quickly entered the cage and beat the animal until it released her leg.

Donnert told Fox10TV that Pages tripped, and the tiger took that as an invitation to play.

But it appeared from video footage that the tiger had a paw wrapped around Pages' leg, causing her to fall.

There had been concern that the children outside the cage were in danger, but Florida officials denied this.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the tiger was "never accessible by the public".

Ms Pages was bitten and clawed by the tiger, and "suffered substantial injuries to her leg", it said.

She was taken to hospital for treatment.

The tigers were part of the Vicenta Pages White Tiger Show at the Pensacola Interstate Fair in Alabama.