An escaped lion has sent an Italian city into panic, with residents being warned to stay indoors.
The large adult male lion, reportedly named Kimba, escaped from Rony Roller’s circus on Saturday in the coastal town of Ladispoli, near Rome.
The town is home to about 40,000 people.
The city’s mayor, Alessandro Grando, took to Facebook to warn residents to stay inside while circus staff and law enforcement officers worked to contain and recapture the lion.
“A lion escaped from the expected circus in Viale Mediterraneo,” he wrote.
“The animal was immediately tracked to an adjacent waterway.”
Residents took to social media, posting clips of lions roaming the streets of X.
One video was taken from the window of the car, with its occupants trapped inside.
Local media channels Corriere Della Sera reported that it took seven hours to capture the lion, in an operation that involved local police and three vets armed with rifles loaded with tranquilizers.
Kimba proved to be a difficult customer, escaping two attempts to capture him before finally succumbing.
In a second Facebook post, more than five hours after the first, Mr. Grando confirmed the animal had been “anesthetized and captured,” and returned to circus staff.
Alessandro Grando hopes this incident will bring more scrutiny to the use of circus animals. Facebook / Alessandro Grando Sindaco di Ladispoli
Mr. Grando used the incident to express his displeasure that the circus was in the city and raised questions about the exploitation of animals in circuses.
“For those who will start asking: why are you still bringing a circus with animals to Ladispoli? Why did the mayor allow the circus?” he said.
“The answer is that I don’t allow anything, it’s not my responsibility to do it, and unfortunately we can’t ban circuses with animals from coming to our city.
A lion that escaped from a circus (not a zoo*) in Rome, Italy has finally been caught. He was not hurt and there were no injuries.
I hope the lion enjoys his freedom as long as he can. pic.twitter.com/lCWJ3Wdu65
— Brian and Intel Breaking News (@intelFromBrian) November 12, 2023
“I hope this episode raises some consciences, and we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses.”
Local media said investigations were underway to ensure Kimba was cared for in compliance with regulations on animal protection, whether his ownership documents were in order and whether security measures to prevent escape were properly followed.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
