How does one prepare for an escaped lion at a zoo?
The results of such an event are never good - it can end in a dead animal, or even a dead visitor.
So preparing for such an event is key... and this zoo in Japan has a pretty novel procedure - a man in a giant smiley lion costume.
Understandably, the absurd situation which was captured by bystanders who met it with smiles rather than horror as the fluffy lion faced down its would-be-captors.
The escaped lion was actually a member of staff and the drill was as much entertainment as preparation for a genuine escape by a potentially dangerous predator.
Zoos around the country regularly conduct similar drills, which invariably feature staff pursuing, then capturing, a chimpanzee, zebra or other “animal” with questionable acting skills.
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The video was first posted to Twitter by @Johnny_Suputama who noted that the real lions in the zoo were looking very unimpressed by it all.
In the end, the zoo got their man.
