Lion escapes from circus in Italy

Kimba, a lion, left a circus in Ladispoli in Italy. People were afraid. They couldn't leave their homes.

Gerardo Guarino wanted his wife to be safe.

Gerardo Guarino: "The news scared me a bit - a lion, on the loose. I called my wife and said there's a lion around so be careful, in fact if you come home it's better."

Kimba walked the streets alone. The police, vets and circus staff looked for him. After five hours, they found Kimba. They returned him to the circus. Now, Kimba's safe with his brothers and sisters.

Kimba was calm. He didn't hurt anyone. Rony Vassallo owns the animals at the circus.

Rony Vassallo: "I can understand, for a normal person to find a lion - for me it's normal. In fact, I didn't have any fear that he might do something because he's an animal who is used to people, used to other animals."

People watched videos of Kimba. Then they felt safe. Barbara Rosolino liked Kimba's good behaviour.

Barbara Rosolino: "Yes, I was a little scared but afterwards from the images, from the videos you could see that he was so good."

Kimba was born in the circus. There are 8 other big cats. The circus has elephants, camels and horses too. In Italy, circuses can use animals. But Kimba's escape is making people talk about it. Authorities in Ladispoli want circuses to stop using animals.

For now, Kimba's resting after his little adventure.

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