An escaped lion has finally been caught after terrorising an Italian town when it escaped from the circus – and the moment was caught on camera.
Yesterday (Saturday, November 11) residents of Ladispoli, a small town near Rome were left terrified and warned not to leave their homes as emergency services worked to catch the beast. Mayor Alessandro Grando urged people to stay vigilant.
The animal, which was later found near a watercourse next to the circus site, follows on from the controversial circus appearing in the town. Footage of the beast prowling the streets was shared on social media.
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Motorists and pedestrians watched in disbelief as the lion, known as Kimba, passed by them. Police were seen rushing through the streets to find and capture the deadly creature.
Police and members of the circus then spent several hours chasing the beast before it was finally captured along the Sanguinara stream. Police and firefighters set up a logistical command centre to deal with the escaped animal
A section of the historic Via Aurelia was shut down as the search continued. According to local outlet Corriere della Sera, vets armed with rifles had shot the lion with tranquillise but the attempt failed.
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Now, new footage has revealed the moment the beast was captured and secured. The 45-second clip was shared to X, formerly Twitter last night. In the clip, a huge crowd can be seen gathering around the unconscious animal.
More than a dozen people then lift the animal into the bed of a truck – an adult male lion can typically weigh a huge 190kg. They are seen lifting the animal by its limbs, after attempting to put a canopy underneath it to assist the lift.
Mayor Grando confirmed that he did not have the power to block the circus from entering the town though did air his disapproval, as did several residents who sent through complaints. The mayor's statement on the escaped lion at the time read: "A lion escaped from the circus. Please pay full attention and avoid travel until further notice."
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Now the lion has been captured, the mayor, as well as animal rights group Oipa, has slammed the circus. The mayor added: "For those who will start to ask: why are you still bringing the circus with animals to Ladispoli?
“Why did the mayor authorize the circus? The answer is that I have not authorized anything, it is not up to me to do so, and that unfortunately, we cannot ban circuses with animals from coming to our city.
"In 2017 we tried but we we lost the appeal to the TAR and we also had to reimburse the legal costs to the appellants. Until the rules change we won't be able to do otherwise.
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"I hope that this episode can stir some conscience and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses." Comments from Oipa soon followed, calling for the introduction of laws prohibiting animal performances in circuses.
They aired their "hope for the introduction of a law that prohibits circuses with animals, also in compliance with the new article 9 of the Constitution which protects the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems, also in the interest of future generations." The Italian Association for the Protection of Animals and the Environment has asked for the lion to neither "be killed" nor "returned to the circus cages".
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