Locals were left terrified after a lion escaped from a circus and prowled the streets for hours in a quiet Italian town.
The big cat, thought to be named Kimba, was filmed walking through dark and deserted streets on Saturday night after residents were warned to stay indoors.
Police and circus staff finally managed to trace and sedate him in the Italian resort of Ladispoli near Rome.
A lion escaped from a circus in ladispoli Italy & was spotted walking in a neighborhood 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Cia65EzJ76
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) November 13, 2023
It was not until five hours after Mayor Alessandro Grando raised the alarm that Kimba was caught.
The mayor said he had not authorised the circus to exhibit live animals but did not have the power to stop it.
Mr Grando said of the lion: "Now he will be taken in hand by the circus staff.
"I hope that this episode can stir some consciences and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses."
However, the mayor insisted that he did not have the authority to block the circus from coming to Ladispoli.
"I didn't authorise it because it's not up to me," Mr Grando said. "Unfortunately, we can't ban circuses withanimals coming to our town.
"Until the law changes, we won't be able to do anything."
Police, firefighters, vets and council officials took part in the hunt for the lion. A stretch of nearby highway, the Via Aurelia, was closed as a precautionary measure.
