“Help, a lion has escaped from the circus.” It seemed like a joke, one of those extremely bad taste jokes that circulate on social media. But no, the lion with his proud mane really disappeared from the cage of the Viale Mediterraneo camp as he calmly walked through the streets of the Cerrito area of Ladispoli. For an entire day, he had police, circus organizers, animal guards, volunteers, firefighters, and the police commissioner running from side to side, and even a police helicopter flying over the entire city.
A very tense safari that started via delle Mimos near the Sanguinara River, then towards Orillia, at the lighthouse, where the lion was once again walking so calmly in Cerrito that at one point it was thought that two lions had been released – a rumor not confirmed by the police – By some animal rights activists.
However, the real reports, with photos and videos of residents of Via Mosca, Via Budapest, Via delle Rose, the sports hall in Piazza delle Primol and many other streets, and above all, the helicopter was following his every move. Roads were closed and residents were forced not to return to their homes. The case was resolved only after 10pm with the second tranquilizer dart hitting the target.
Step back. The lion’s escape was reported around 3pm by the ‘Ronnie Roller Circus’.
At that moment it was time for Mayor Alessandro Grando to warn the population and spread the alert, that is, to stay in their homes. “Please exercise extreme caution and avoid traveling until further notice.”
Searches were unsuccessful in the afternoon, and then darkness fell. The helicopter, thanks to its infrared devices, was able to find the guest at around 5.30pm towards the state road where the Mounted Police Academy is located, but it was turning back towards the lighthouse in a thicket of reeds near the railway line behind Via Canova.
Research is underway while awaiting a veterinarian from Tuscany who specializes in hunting wild animals, because the lion – as revealed by the “Circo Errani di Fagiolino” Facebook page – was frightened and rejected the tranquilizer contained in the meat. Minutes like hours, as the cat moves from one side of Ladispoli to the other, and passersby flee, even ready to climb walls and gates in terror.
Moments of terror
Surreal scenes, from horror films like “Cujo”, only in Ladispoli, not with the werewolf dog but with the poor stunned lion. “I drove past him: I couldn’t believe my eyes,” is Stefano’s story. “I asked the driver to let me get in the car, and this lion was walking toward me on the sidewalk,” Laura says. Hundreds of testimonials from Ladispolan residents who have found it face to face in practice. “But did they live in it? Helps! Get in the car quickly!” a woman shouts as she heads towards her children.
Then the happy ending was missed at around eight o’clock in the evening when the sleeping pill was fired from the gun, hitting the lion, but without exhausting his strength to escape for the umpteenth time in the Cerrito area, losing track and mocking the researchers.
Organized teams set out during the night in the hope of finding him before he woke up: the nightmare ended at 10.15pm when the lion was captured and hoisted from the trench with ropes into a pickup truck.
Meanwhile, disagreements erupt. Aoiba on this issue. “The episode – writes the International Organization for Animal Protection – highlights the danger of circuses with animals from the point of view of public safety and above all animal disturbance.” Then the request: “We hope to issue a law that also complies with Article 9 of the Constitution. Unlike those that use animals, circuses with acrobats can be educational, showcasing human talent.
“I have not declared anything,” Grando replies, “and I cannot ban circuses with animals.” In 2017, we lost our appeal for the TAR. Until the rules change, we will not be able to do otherwise.” The shows were canceled yesterday. Today I am in the air sitting.
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