Lion Escapes Circus In Suspected Sneaky Sabotage In Quaint Italian Town, Whole Town Hides In Fear

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Nov 19, 2023 4:00 PM EST

It's not every day you look out your window to see a lion walking down the street past your house! That's never happened to us, but in the town of Ladispoli, Italy, it has. A lion escaped from a circus that was in town and took a little walk around the town before being taken back to the circus a few hours later. Residents were urged to stay inside, and one woman caught the cat on camera strolling down her street. 

The owner of the circus declined to comment on how it escaped, although he did mention that the lock to the lion's cage was forced open - so he does suspect sabotage. Italy is one of the only countries left in the European Union that hasn't banned the use of animals in the entertainment industry. All in all, everyone is okay, including the lion, and this quaint little town had a very exciting evening!

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  • 01
    via galvanimichele

    What would you do if you looked out the window and saw a lion just parading down your street? We would be completely baffled because we would never in one million years expect that to happen! Who do you call - the police? Animal control? Good thing this lion was a gentle giant!

  • 02
    @MicheleGalvani The.. Guardian
    via @MicheleGalvani, The Guardian
  • 03
    @MicheleGalvani The.. Guardian
    via @MicheleGalvani, The Guardian
  • 04
    The.. Guardian
    via @MicheleGalvani, The Guardian
  • 05
    REEZELALEILL The.. Guardian
    via @MicheleGalvani, The Guardian

    Even when we saw lions at the zoo, they were always laying down somewhere far away in the enclosure, so we've never seen one this up close before! Can you imagine just driving down the road, seeing something on the side of the road, and having to do a double-take because you thought you just saw a lion?? Crazy.

  • 06
    A lion prowled the streets of an Italian seaside town for several hours after escaping from a local circus, prompting campaigners to call for Italy to ban wild animals in entertainment. Alessandro Grando, the mayor of Ladispoli, near Rome, had told residents to stay at home on Saturday while police and circus staff sought to catch the animal, which was eventually sedated and captured.
    via Agence France-Presse in Rome
  • 07
    "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," he told AFP at the circus site. He said his fear had been "that someone could have harm the animal, out of fear, or excess enthusiasm".
    via Agence France-Presse in Rome
  • 08
    "I hope that this episode can stir some consciences, and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses," the mayor added. Anticipating residents' complaints, he earlier said he had not authorised the presence of a circus with lions in the town, but that he did not have the power to block it.
    via Agence France-Presse in Rome
  • 09
    More than 20 European countries have banned or heavily restricted the use of animals in circuses, but Italy is not yet among them. A law has been drafted but was this year delayed to 2024, according to the LAV campaign group, which estimated that just under 2,000 animals are held in circuses across Italy.
    via Agence France-Presse in Rome

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town street italian lions Italy escape city true story sneaky story lion circus big cats sabotage animals
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