Residents of an Italian town near Rome were asked to stay home on Saturday to guard against the fangs of a lion, which escaped from a local circus and is being actively sought by police. Alessandro Grando, mayor of Ladispoli, a city of some 40,000 people, posted the alert on social media, saying police were helping circus staff search for the animal.
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A lion escaped from the circus," he wrote, adding that the big cat had been spotted in a stream near the circus. "We ask you to be very attentive and avoid any travel until further notice," he warned.
Anticipating possible complaints, Alessandro Grando clarified that he had not authorized the presence of a circus with lions in the city, but that he did not have the power to prevent it.