SHOCKING footage has emerged of a circus worker dancing on the back of a dying elephant.

The horrifying video shows Madi - a 48-year-old Indian elephant - slowly drowning in an Estonian river as the circus owner's brother, Rene Renz, jumps around on her back, the Daily Mail reports.

The video was filmed by onlookers after Madi - from Germany's Universal Circus Renz - was taken to a river in the city of Narva.

As Madi bathes in the river, Renz leaps onto her back and begins clowning around on her. A clearly frail Madi quickly begins to sink beneath the surface, before drowning.

The footage then cuts to show a team of people trying to drag Madi out of the water and captures an even more shocking moment.

As the lifeless elephant lies on the river bank, the video shows Renz leaping back onto Madi's back and jumping up and down on her body. Someone is heard chuckling nearby.

According to the Daily Mail, the circus owner Daniel Renz and brother Rene are now under investigation for alleged animal cruelty.

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