Lions on the loose in United States?

Zoos in two cities in the United States scrambled to issue public safety notices after fake news of lions escaping their facilities went viral.

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The pandemonium started when a Facebook post stated that a lion and lioness had escaped from the Nashville Zoo. The post was accompanied by pictures of the big cats.

“Escaped from the Nashville Zoo yesterday, they were caught on camera at 2:00 a.m. on a trail cam near Percy Priest,” the post read.

A Nashville Zoo spokesperson refuted the claims on a television channel by terming it a fake news. She said the facility does not host lions.

“We are aware of this situation,” a zoo spokeswoman told WSMV-TV. “A guy on Facebook made a false post claiming that two lions escaped Nashville Zoo. This is incredibly false information — we do not even have lions in our care here at Nashville Zoo.”

Then, a different account made a similar claim by using the same picture.

“Escaped from the Indianapolis Zoo this evening, they were caught on camera at 6:37 p.m. on a trail cam along the White River. Be safe out there… do not approach,” it read.

The Director of Public Relations for the Indianapolis Zoo Emily Garrett refuted the report by stating their animals are “safe and sound”. She added that the recreational centre has not had a male lion since 2018.

It turned out that the image was taken by a wildlife camera in Hluhluwe, South Africa back in 2015. It was circulated online by the conservation group Wildlife ACT.