A lion escaped from its cage in a private zoo in the village of Zvole near Prague on Saturday night. After injuring its keeper, it was shot dead by police officers, who are now investigating the circumstances of the case, said Central Bohemian police spokeswoman Vlasta Suchankova, speaking to CTK.
The zoo in Zvole has been operating for three years without a proper permit, according to Petr Vorlicek, spokesperson for the State Veterinary Administration.
A draft measure over a violation of the law on the protection of animals against cruelty has been submitted to the municipal authority in Cernosice, which has extended jurisdiction. The veterinary administration submitted a complaint in 2022, and the authority is to decide on sanctions, said Vorlicek.
Police officers will investigate the incident with the escaped lion on suspicion of endangering public safety out of negligence, Suchankova told CTK yesterday.
Environment Ministry spokesperson Veronika Krejci confirmed to CTK last night that the facility did not have a license to operate a zoo.
The incident was reported to the 158 police hotline shortly before 8 pm on Saturday.
“The lion escaped from a contact zoo on private land in the village of Zvole. The lion apparently scrambled out of its enclosure (cage) and then moved around on private land, injuring the keeper,” Suchankova said.
The landowner told the police that the lion weighed about 350 kilos, was dangerous, untamed and could hurt anyone.
“So the officers entered the property armed with long service firearms,” said Suchankova, describing the intervention. “While conducting a ground search, they spotted the animal after a while. The predator immediately ran towards them and the officers reacted to the imminent danger and pacified the animal.”
Paramedics treated one slightly injured man on the spot, reported Novinky.cz on Saturday night.
The investigation into the case is ongoing. Suchankova said the police would determine whether the area had been sufficiently secured against the escape of the dangerous animal.
The zoo announced on Facebook that yesterday’s visits were cancelled, but did not give further details.
“The Zvole Zoo has long been a problematic breeding facility, with the keeper having already lost his permit to breed species requiring special care. The construction authority has ordered the demolition of the unauthorised buildings (most of the zoo),” Vorlicek said, adding that the zoo’s breeding permit had not been renewed. The owner stated that he planned to relocate the breeding facility to another location, but this did not happen.
Zvole Mayor Miroslav Stoklasa told Czech Radio that the zoo continued to operate illegally mainly because there was nowhere else to put the animals. “The state has no possibility to place the animals somewhere and has no facilities of its own to move them to,” he said.
The Czech Republic is lacking a systemically designated facility that would eventually take care of confiscated exotic animals, Vorlicek told CTK. In the past, he noted, similar situations were addressed by making arrangements with private owners who had the required permits, to take over the animals from any breeders who did not meet the requirements.
This is not the first incident linked to the Zvole zoo. In 2018, a cougar escaped from its premises and was caught two days later. A year earlier, a seven-month cougar cub ran away from the zoo, and after being found, it was pacified and returned to its owner.
