Escaped circus lion sparks panic in Italian town near Rome as terrified residents ordered to stay indoors
AN ITALIAN town has been put on red alert after a lion escaped from a local circus.
Residents of Ladispoli, near Rome, were told to stay at home on Saturday after the beast went missing.
Videos have already surfaced on social media of the lion, known as Kimba, prowling through local neighbourhoods.
Terrified onlookers have filmed the animal from inside the safety of their homes as it makes its way through the darkness.
One person even captured the lion walking past their car as flashing lights from emergency services can be seen in the background.
Three vets armed with rifles had shot the lion with a tranquilliser but failed to sedate it after it got up and walked off, according to local outlet Corriere della Sera.
That was at 3pm between Vialle Mediterraneo and Via Nicosia.
Police and members of the circus then spent another several hours chasing the animal before eventually sedating it a second time, around 8:30pm.
However, the lion once again got up and limped off before disappearing again.
At 10pm, Kimba was finally captured after becoming stuck in a swamp along the Sanguinara stream.
Alessandro Grando, mayor of Ladispoli, issued the warning on social media, saying police were helping circus staff search for the animal.
“A lion escaped from the circus,” he wrote, saying it had been traced to watercourse next to the site.
“Please pay full attention and avoid travel until further notice.”
Anticipating residents’ complaints, he said he had not authorised the presence of a circus with lions in the town, but he did not have the power to block it.