Kimba the lion.Photo:SONIA LOGRE/AFP via Getty

The lion Kimba, 8, from the Rony Roller circus is seen behind fences in Ladispoli on November 12, 2023. Residents of Ladispoli, a seaside town near Rome, were told to stay home yesterday after Kimba the lion escaped from the circus before the animal was sedated and captured.

SONIA LOGRE/AFP via Getty

A lion has made its way safely back home after an adventure roaming the streets of Italy over the weekend.

Kimba the lion was found hours after he escaped fromRony Rollercircus in Ladispoli, a seaside town near Rome, on Saturday, Mayor Alessandro Grando announced in aFacebook post.

He added, “I hope that this episode will stir some consciences, and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses.”

Kimba the lion, 8, escaped from Rony Roller circus near Rome on Saturday.SONIA LOGRE/AFP via Getty

The lion Kimba, 8, from the Rony Roller circus is seen behind fences in Ladispoli on November 12, 2023. Residents of Ladispoli, a seaside town near Rome, were told to stay home yesterday after Kimba the lion escaped from the circus before the animal was sedated and captured.

Grando warned residents of 8-year-old Kimba’s escape in aposton Saturday, as he shared that the lion had been located in “an adjacent water course.” He added that operations to bring the lion home were taking place with the help of law enforcement.

Oneclipshowed Kimba casually strolling down the middle of an empty road in a residential area at night. At one point, the unfazed lion looked straight up at the camera as the resident filming yelled out in surprise.

In anothervideo, the lion sauntered down a sidewalk at night as a car drove past. The lion was also seen walking between parked cars in footage as a police car followed behind.

The lion was seen in footage roaming the Italian streets after his escape.SONIA LOGRE/AFP via Getty

The lion Kimba, 8, from the Rony Roller circus is seen behind fences in Ladispoli on November 12, 2023. Residents of Ladispoli, a seaside town near Rome, were told to stay home yesterday after Kimba the lion escaped from the circus before the animal was sedated and captured.

Despite concern over the lion, animal handler Rony Vassallo, whose family runs Rony Roller circus, assured that Kimba was hardly a threat. “He met with people in an environment he wasn’t used to…and nothing happened,” Vassallo toldAFP.

“He didn’t even for a second have the instinct to attack a person,” he continued, adding that his fear had been “that someone could have harm the animal, out of fear, or excess enthusiasm”.

Vassallo also told the outlet that his family was left “very shaken and tense” over Kimba’s escape. He added that Kimba’s escape was “very strange” to AFP, perThe Guardian, as he had checked the lock an hour before the lion ran away.

It is suspected that the lion made his escape after a lock was broken on his cage in a “sabotage.” Grando said on Saturday, perCNN. The mayor added that an investigation is now taking place.

source: people.com