The Marino circus in Naples forced a 19-year-old girl to swim under water with flesh-eating piranhas in a huge transparent tank, while her younger sister, 16, was placed in a large barrel filled with snakes, insects and tarantulas. Police said she was bitten by one of the snakes.
Their father worked as part of the circus maintenance team taking care of the animals, while their mother cooked and cleaned the camp. The family, who were illegal immigrants and worked up to 20 hours a day, had been living in a cockroach-infested truck, with no access to medical treatment.
The circus paid them only 100 euros ($157) a week instead of 480 euros, the rest of the money was given to the so called gang master a Bulgarian woman who found them the work in January.
Three circus owners have been arrested accused of holding the family in slavery, with a further three people suspected of involvement, police said.
