PHOTOS: Lion found walking around city in South Africa

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Johannesburg - "My first thought was to run."

By Web Report

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Published: Sat 16 Apr 2016, 1:09 PM

Last updated: Tue 30 Jul 2024, 3:21 PM

Known for it's wild safari tourism, a city in South Africa has made global headlines after a lion was found casually strolling around the city centre in Johannesburg.

According to media reports, an eyewitness, Irvaan Dolley from Ibiza, Spain got the shock of her life when she saw the the 'king of the jungle' walk past.


"It was a strange sight to see the lion strolling through the city like that and my first thought was to run."

So what was the lion doing in the city?

Apparently, Columbus the lion, was 'shooting' for a local production, and the company had not informed the authorities about it.

According to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), the filming had not been cleared and the film company took a risk by releasing the lion into the city, without previously getting approval to close roads, Cater News Agency reported.

An official said that the normal procedure would have been to discuss the shoot details before carrying out such a shoot with an animal.

"The people who were there were taking chances," the official said.

Columbus normally resides at nearby lion park.

The story originally appeared here.


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