Lion wanders streets of Italy after escaping from circus
The king of the jungle took to the streets of Italy.
In what seems like a Pixar plot, a lion was spotted strolling through the streets of Ladispoli, Italy, after escaping from the zoo.
Kimba the lion was caught more than five hours after the initial alert was raised and has been returned to the circus it fled from, safely.
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Residents of Ladispoli, just west of Rome, were asked to stay home before the animal was caught, sedated, and returned.
Videos posted on X show locals shocked to see Simba Kimba roaming the streets at night. The initial video has received nearly two million views after circulating online.
ā Alerta Mundo (@AlertaMundo_) November 12, 2023
ā Dorina Vasile (@dorina_vasile) November 11, 2023
Circus owner Rony Vassallo says Kimba is doing fine and an internal investigation is underway to determine exactly how the eight-year-old big cat escaped from its enclosure.
In a Facebook post, Ladispoli Mayor Alessandro Grando thanked emergency services and volunteers who helped during these “hours of great concern.”
He added that he hopes this “episode can stir some consciences, and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses.”
More than 20 European countries have banned or restricted the use of animals in circuses but Italy is not one of them.
As for the lion, Kimba was born and raised in captivity, alongside his three siblings, Zeus, Ivan, and Maya.
Vassallo says circus critics “donāt know the reality of the facts, how animals are treated in circuses, or the checks that are carried out.”
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