Lion shot dead after escaping from enclosure at Belgian zoo

A lion that escaped from its enclosure at a zoo in Belgium has been shot down, a spokeswoman has confirmed.

Planckendael Zoo was evacuated after the female lion escaped on Thursday, but it did not manage to get out of the zoo grounds.

Among the guests at the tourist attraction were school pupils, who were told to remain in the car park while attempts were made to capture the lioness.

Visitor Caitlin Cant told VTM news: ‘We arrived here and immediately had to go to the souvenir shop.

‘Some classmates are still in their car in the parking lot. Classmates who were on their way were sent back home.’

The zoo said that after two unsuccessful attempts to sedate the lion, the animal was shot dead by police.

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They tweeted: ‘After two failed anaesthetic attempts, we had to let the escaped lion sleep.’

Spokeswoman Ilse Segers said the lion did not get out of the zoo and no visitors or staff members were in danger.