A lion prowled the streets of an Italian seaside town for several hours Saturday after escaping from a local circus, before being sedated and captured. The lion posed no threat to the public, his handler insisted Sunday, as campaigners called for Italy to ban wild animals in entertainment.Residents of the seaside town of Ladispoli were told to stay indoors for more than five hours on Saturday evening while police, vets and circus staff tracked the lion, finally sedating and then capturing him.
They are among nine big cats at the circus, including tigers, while acts also involve elephants, camels, horses and even bison.The circus has drawn the ire of animal rights campaigners, who say keeping such wild creatures is cruel.More than 20 European countries have banned or heavily restricted the use of animals in circuses -- but Italy is not yet among them.