Caesar, a five-year-old circus lion, was recovering after being mistakenly taken by thieves.
He was in a Mercedes van that was stolen in the western German town of Wuppertal. Some time later the van was dumped, with its engine running, after the thieves crashed into a road sign — possibly after hearing a roar from the back.
Police then towed away the van, also unaware of its cargo. The hungry lion was discovered hours later. “Caeser is fine. We’re not worried about him,” said Laurens Thoen, a spokesman for Circus Probst. The thieves have not been found.