An adult lion roaming the streets of a town about an hour’s drive from central Mexico City prompted concern among residents Wednesday morning, but fears subsided after the animal was safely recaptured.
The incident occurred in San Pedro Cholula, a locality in México state about 18 kilometers west of Toluca and 52 kilometers southeast of Mexico City. It’s in the municipality of Ocoyoacac, which has a population of 60,000.
Footage of the roaming lion uploaded by social media users made it into Mexican news reports.
After escaping from a local facility known as the RECICA wild animal shelter, the large feline was seen around 7 a.m. on Lerma Street, one of the town’s main arteries.
Videos and images shared on social media showed the lion walking through public areas. But when officials from local security and civil protection agencies arrived for a search operation, they could not locate the animal at first.
Eventually, they confirmed that the lion was secured safely and without incident by someone from RECICA and returned to the facility.
Sometimes written as ReCiCa, the foundation’s acronym stands for Rescate de Circo y Cautiverio, or Rescue from Circus and Captivity in English. A 2015 federal law that prohibits the use of wild animals in circuses across Mexico resulted in such animals being confiscated by federal authorities from circuses and similar shows. Many ended up in facilities like that of RECICA, which appears to have existed since at least 2016, when its Facebook page was created.
The RECICA shelter, located in the community of San Pedro Cholula, Ocoyoacac, houses various wild felines — including lions, tigers, panthers and leopards. According to a 2022 feature by the news media outlet Excelsior, it at one time had about 80 wild animals living on the property many of whom had been rescued from circuses and other similar shows, although it included in that number animals such as coatis and raccoons.
In November, a pair of inspections at a San Pedro Cholula, Ocoyoacac, facility operating under the name “RESICA” resulted in the arrest of four dozen individuals. The federal environmental agency Profepa conducted the raid after the officials from the state of México’s Attorney General’s Office (FGJEM) were met with armed resistance during an earlier attempted inspection.
A 2022 Excelsior news feature on the RECICA shelter in Ocoyoacac said at the time that the shelter for rescued wildlife had about 80 animals on the premises. However, a 2024 raid found less than 40 animals on the property.
Authorities reportedly found on the premises more than 30 exotic animals, including eight lion cubs, 17 African lions, two jaguars, six Bengal tigers and an American bison.
At the time, Profepa said the animals were found in good health and well-fed, and “that the place allegedly has authorization as an animal sanctuary and refuge.”
However, the agency added, “the person in charge did not show proof that it is registered to operate as a Wildlife Management Facility or Property (PIMVS) and did not present the document with the corresponding management program.”
The newspaper El Financiero reported that a criminal complaint was initiated against the property owner, allegedly the leader of a criminal organization “linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.” The paper identified him as Francisco Torres Palacios, allegedly nicknamed “El Tigre.”
These incidents and others highlight ongoing concerns about wildlife trafficking and illegal animal trade in Mexico.
Just this week, Profepa rescued an African lion that was found chained in a private home in Sinaloa. And last month, the agency rescued 12 animals — including five leopard geckos, three veiled chameleons and two three-keeled musk turtles — from a parcel delivery company.
This isn’t the first time a lion has wandered the streets in México state. In late 2023, a lion cub was on the loose in Xonacatlán, about 20 kilometers from San Pedro Cholula.
