The adult male lion was seen wandering the streets of the Italian city of Ladispoli yesterday after escaping from a circus. The feline was finally captured tonight after "hours of great concern," according to the mayor, Alessandro Grando.
On Saturday afternoon, the councilor had asked the residents of this city on the Roman coast on social media for "maximum attention" and not to leave their homes due to the presence in the streets of a lion that had escaped from a circus.
In fact, the animal had already been seen walking between the houses on Viale Mediterráneo, in the center of this city in the Lazio region, to the fright of its neighbors, who recorded it with their phones.
After locating the lion in a stream in Ladispoli, finally, around midnight, the city council reported that it had been "sedated and captured" and returned to the circus staff, deactivating the alert.
Personnel from the Police, the Carabineros (militarized police), firefighters, local agents, volunteers and the circus workers themselves participated in the operation.
The event sparked debate about the presence of a circus with animals of this type.
The mayor responded to those who criticized him for this that he did not hire him, but rather arrived autonomously, and hoped that this anecdote would serve to "remove consciences" and put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses.
