A lion escaped from a circus in Italy for several hours

A lion that escaped from a local circus near Rome was captured after roaming the streets of the city of Ladispoli for several hours.

The mayor of the city of 40,000, Alessandro Grando, called on his citizens to stay at home until police and circus workers tried to capture the cat.

Videos released by Italian media, which AFP could not confirm, show a one-year-old lion walking through deserted streets in the middle of the night.

At 10:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), calling for caution in his first message in more than five hours, Mr. Grando confirmed on his Facebook page that the lion was “caught unconscious”.

“He will now be cared for by circus staff,” he added, thanking the emergency services and volunteers for their help “at this very worrying time”.

“I hope this episode will raise awareness and put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses,” he wrote.

Anticipating possible complaints, Mr. Grando made it clear that he did not approve of a circus with lions in the city, but that he had no power to stop it.