On Saturday evening in Zvole, a village near Prague, a lion escaped its enclosure and attacked the animal’s keeper, prompting police intervention.

Police spokeswoman Vlasta Suchánková said the emergency call came just before 8 p.m.

“At 7:58 p.m., we were notified that a lion had broken free from its cage at a local zoo in Zvole. The keeper sustained minor injuries,” she told Novinky.cz.

According to initial reports, the lion remained within the zoo’s grounds and did not leave the premises. Despite this, the situation escalated quickly, requiring immediate action from law enforcement.

The police issued a statement confirming that their standard procedure involves working with veterinary experts to tranquilize and safely recapture escaped animals.

However, in this case, waiting was not an option, and officers had to resort to lethal force.

The circumstances of the lion’s escape and the events leading to the shooting remain under investigation. Authorities have promised to release more information once the facts are confirmed.

The zoo’s social media only reported that all Sunday visits were canceled.

This is not the first time that rescue and armed forces have intervened in Zvole because of exotic animals.

The police went to the same owner in 2018, when he was bitten by a highly venomous black mamba. He ended up in hospital in serious condition.

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