What will you do if you happen to pass by a lion near the place you live? Yes, a lion roaming around the same street you walk on. Terrifying, isn’t it?
Well, authorities in Rome have captured a lion that wandered around heavily populated streets in this Italian capital for hours a few weeks ago, and sedated the animal.
Italy’s state police involved in the capture
The operation to bring this lion back into captivity had Italy’s state police, local police, the Carabinieri military police force, and local volunteers joining forces. It really was a complicated situation.
Ladispoli mayor Alessandro Grando said it had been “hours of great learning.” Ladispoli is located on the western fringe of Rome.
Mayor Grando also said he hoped this incident would help end the practice of circuses keeping animals like Kimba in captivity.
Official video shots from a police helicopter, which made use of an infrared camera, showed the lion, named Kimba, strolling around a grassy area, like sightseeing.
There was also an unverified mobile phone video circulating around online showing Kimba calmly walking down a residential street, just ignoring the cars and houses on either side.
Never a threat to the public
The animal handler at Rony Roller Circus – where the lion came from – Rony Vassallo told the media that the eight-year-old lion was actually never a threat to the public.
“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,” Vassallo said.
