A video of two circus lions escaping from their enclosure during a live performance in China has gone viral. The show was being held in Central China's Henan Province when the lions jumped out of an unlocked door, causing widespread panic among the audience. According to the Global Times, the big cats were shortly captured by trainers and breeders working in the circus and no injuries was reported to anybody. After the incident, the circus was ordered to suspend its operations.
A video of the incident was shared on the microblogging site Twitter by @WeAreNotFood with the caption, "Everything went wrong! It is clear that these animals do not want to do these silly tricks. Leave the animals alone and let them live their lives in peace. I think these lions look skinny. How are they punished now? Beating and starving?."
One of the lion was later seen wandering outside the circus, prompting audience members and tourists to flee in all directions.
Officers from the local police station said that the lion had been caught. Several videos online also showed the lion being carried away in a cage, reported the Global Times.
There is no official comment from the circus authorities yet, but the police has launched an investigation to determine the exact cause behind the incident and nab the culprit responsible for it.
The video went viral on social media and sparked angry reactions too
"This is WRONG on every level I know of! #AnimalAbuseMustEnd," wrote one user after seeing the video shared on twitter by @WeAreNotFood.
"Poor babies. This should be illegal," echoed another user.