A lion sparked panic after it was spotted roaming the streets of an Italian town after escaping from a circus. According to News.com.au, the huge adult male lion, reportedly named Kimba, escaped from the Rony Roller circus in the seaside town of Ladispoli, near Rome on Saturday evening, November 11. Pictures and videos that have surfaced on social media show panicked locals shocked at seeing the big cat roaming the streets of the town.
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Rony Vassallo, who is responsible for the animals in the Rony Roller Circus, said that while the thought of confronting a lion would make most people fearful, 8-year-old Kimba posed little danger.
"He met with people in an environment he wasn't used to... and nothing happened, he didn't even for a second have the instinct to attack a person," he told AFP.
Meamwhile, the mayor of Ladispoli, Alessandro Grando, had advised residents to stay at home while police and circus staff sought to catch the animal. He wrote: ''A lion escaped from the circus. Please pay full attention and avoid travel until further notice.''
The lion was eventually caught more than seven hours after the initial alert was raised. Police, vets, and circus staff tracked the lion, sedated it, and then captured it. It had to be shot with sedatives twice as it awoke the first time, according to local news outlet, Corriere della Sera.
"Now he will be taken in hand by the circus staff. Thank you State Police, Carabinieri, Firefighters, Local and Provincial Police, ASL and all the volunteers who served during these hours of great learning. I hope that this episode can stir some conscience and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses," wrote Mr Grando on Facebook.
Authorities are now looking into how the animal escaped from its cage at the Rony Roller Circus. Meanwhile, the circus has drawn the ire of animal rights campaigners, who say keeping such wild creatures is cruel.
