Escaped circus lion terrorizes seaside town in Italy, sends residents into panic
An escaped lion has sent an Italian town into a state of panic, with residents warned to stay indoors.
The huge adult male lion, reportedly named Kimba, escaped from the Rony Roller circus on Saturday in the seaside town of Ladispoli, near Rome.
The town is home to around 40,000 people.
The town’s mayor, Alessandro Grando, took to Facebook to warn residents to stay inside while circus staff and law enforcement officers worked to contain and recapture the lion.
More footage of the lion that escaped from a circus wandering the streets of Ladispoli, Rome, Italy 🇮🇹 | 11 November 2023 | #Italy #Lion #escaped pic.twitter.com/jW5Sq7jbha
— Disaster Tracker (@DisasterTrackHQ) November 12, 2023
“A lion escaped from the expected circus in Viale Mediterraneo,” he wrote.
“The animal was immediately traced to an adjacent water course.”
Residents took to social media, posting clips of the lion prowling the streets in X.
In Italy, a lion caused quite a stir. The animal escaped from the circus and walked the streets
— WBC Defenders (@WBCdefenders) November 12, 2023
A few hours later the lion was caught. He was tied up and will be handed back to the circus.#Italy #Circus #Lion pic.twitter.com/of8EMVqlSd
One video was taken from a car window, with the occupant trapped inside.
Local media outlet Corriere Della Sera reported that it took seven hours to capture the lion, in an operation which involved local police and three vets armed with rifles loaded with sedative bullets.
Kimba proved to be a tricky customer, escaping two attempts to capture him before finally succumbing.
In a second Facebook post, more than five hours after the first, Mr. Grando confirmed the animal had been “sedated and captured,” and returned to circus staff.
![Facebook post](https://cdn.statically.io/img/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-12-at-8.29.48-AM.png)
Mr. Grando used the incident to express his displeasure that the circus was in town and raise questions about animal exploitation in circuses.
“For those who will start asking: why do you still bring the circus with animals to Ladispoli? Why did the mayor authorize the circus?” he said.
“The answer is that I haven’t authorized anything, it’s not my responsibility to do it, and unfortunately we can’t forbid circuses with animals coming to our city.
#BREAKING #URGENT
— Brian’s Breaking News and Intel (@intelFromBrian) November 12, 2023
The lion that escaped from the circus (not zoo*) in Rome, Italy was finally caught. He was not harmed and there was no injuries.
I hope the lion enjoyed his freedom while he could. pic.twitter.com/lCWJ3Wdu65
“I hope this episode can raise some conscience, and that we can finally put an end to animal exploitation in circuses.”
Local media said investigations were underway to ensure Kimba is cared for in compliance with the rules on animal protection, whether his ownership documents are in order and whether the safety measures to avoid escapes were properly followed.