A lion escaped from a circus in Ladispoli, a town near Rome, Italy, causing panic as it roamed the streets at night.
The incident was captured in a video showing the lion walking between parked cars. Mayor Alessandro Grando issued a public warning, urging residents to avoid travel and stay indoors.
The authorities, including police and circus staff, faced challenges in capturing the lion, which evaded them multiple times and had to be sedated twice.
The lion was eventually secured around 10 pm. Following the incident, Mayor Grando faced complaints about the circus's presence in the area and expressed hope on Facebook that this episode would encourage an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses.