It was on Saturday that a circus lion escaped and roamed the street for hours in a suburb of Rome before animal control officers were able to capture him. The lion had been on the loose in the town of Ladispoli for several hours.
According to Mayor Alessandro Grando, local residents were urged to remain indoors. Videos quickly became available on social media showing the huge male lion, named Kimba, casually roaming the streets in front of residential gates.
It was approximately 10:00 p.m. that it was announced Kimba had been successfully “sedated and captured.” The lion was not injured and returned to the circus staff. Italy’s state police, local police, the Carabinieri military police force and local volunteers were all involved in the safe capture of eight-year-old Kimba.
One of the animal trainers from the circus assured authorities Kimba was not a threat to the public; he just wasn’t used to roaming around free.
And if anything can be learned by this experience, it just brings more information and awareness out to the public about ending the exploitation of animals for circuses. More than 20 European countries have banned using animals in circuses. It remains legal in Italy.
(photos via screenshots from posted videos)
Check out the video:
https://www.facebook.com/cheddar/videos/357515529992556
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