close
A circus lion has been captured after it escaped captivity and wandered the streets of a suburb of the Italian capital for hours.
An escaped circus lion terrorized an Italian town for hours before finally being sedated and captured.
State and local police officers, in addition to the Carabinieri, descended on the town of Ladispoli, a suburb 28 miles west of Rome, in an attempt to corral a circus lion who had escaped captivity and wandered the streets of the busy town for “hours,” according to a report from NBC News.
Cameras captured footage of the lion, named Kimba, strolling the town, calmly walking through residential areas and acting seemingly unbothered by the presence of police on his tail.
BEAR SPOTTED IN CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOOD SEDATED AFTER TWO DAYS ON THE LOOSE
An escaped circus lion in the Italian town of Ladispoli. (Fox News)
Despite the scare for local residents, an animal handler with the Rony Roller Circus told AFP News that the lion, which is 8-years-old, was not a threat to people in the town.
“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,” the handler, Rony Vassallo, said.
An escaped circus lion in the Italian town of Ladispoli. (Fox News)
PENNSYLVANIA MAN BIT IN HEAD BY BEAR RECOUNTS TERRIFYING ATTACK: IT ‘BLINDSIDED’ ME
According to the NBC News report, the practice of having live circus animals is banned in over 20 European countries. Italy is not one of those countries, though a bill that would ban the practice has passed the lower chamber of the country’s parliament.
Nevertheless, the scare caused Ladispoli Mayor Alessandro Grando to advocate in favor of such a ban.
An escaped circus lion in the Italian town of Ladispoli. (Fox News)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
“I hope this episode can raise some conscience, and that we can finally put an end to animal exploitation in circuses,” the mayor said, according to NBC News.
New research suggests Mars could have enough water under its surface to form a global…
The Perseid meteor shower peaks late Sunday night, and given that it will be paired…
An Italian-led team of scientists say they have confirmed evidence of a sizable cave on…
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is now threatening to force a vote on a measure…
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to social media to call out critics who say President…
Former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who served with President Biden in Congress for over 20…