- A lion escaped from a circus in Italy on Saturday and spent a number of hours on the unfastened.
- Residents had been warned to remain at residence till the lion was captured.
- The city’s mayor used the incident to name for an finish to the usage of animals in circuses.
A lion spent greater than 5 hours roaming the streets of an Italian city on Saturday after escaping from a circus.
Residents of Ladispoli, a seaside city close to Rome, had been warned by the native mayor, Alessandro Grando, to remain at residence as police and circus staff tried to catch the lion.
Videos seemingly shot by locals present the eight-year-old lion prowling alongside darkish streets.
🦁Oggi un leone è scappato da un circo a Ladispoli!
Quinta fuga di un animale detenuto in un circo in un anno.
È ora di dire basta agli “spettacoli” con animali e che nessuno faccia male al leone! @g_sangiuliano altrui legge delega sul riordino dello spettacolo in tempi brevi! pic.twitter.com/BVGJvh9c5O
— LAV (@LAVonlus) November 11, 2023
A police helicopter ultimately tracked the lion to a subject utilizing an infrared digital camera, La Repubblica reported. Authorities continued to watch the animal till vets had been in a position to sedate it.
In a second Facebook publish, Grando confirmed that the lion had been “sedated and captured” and can be returned to circus employees.
He additionally used the incident to name for an finish to the usage of animals in circuses.
“I hope that this episode can stir some consciences and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses,” he wrote.
Local media mentioned investigations into what occurred can be carried out, however the circus operators urged that the lion might have been launched deliberately.
“We are victims of sabotage. We found the cage open and someone saw three people fleeing on foot,” they mentioned, per La Repubblica.
Eight US states had “banned or restricted the use of wild animals” in travelling circuses as of 2022, in response to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
