Lions not on the loose in Nashville or Indy, despite viral posts

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Zoos in Nashville and Indianapolis assured the public that no lions are on the loose, despite two viral Facebook posts using the same photo.

The first Facebook post, accompanied by a photo of a male lion and a female lion, stated: "Escaped from the Nashville Zoo yesterday, they were caught on camera at 2:00 a.m. on a trail cam near Percy Priest."

"We are aware of this situation. A guy on Facebook made a false post claiming that 2 lions escaped Nashville Zoo," a zoo spokeswoman told WSMV-TV. "This is incredibly false information -- we do not even have lions in our care here at Nashville Zoo."

A second post from a different account used the same picture to make a similar claim.

"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," the second post said.

The Indianapolis Zoo confirmed this, too, was false.

"All of our animals are safe and sound," Emily Garrett, director of Public Relations for the Indianapolis Zoo told IndyStar.

The Indianapolis Zoo has not had a male lion in residence since 2018.

The photo used in both posts dates back to 2015, and was taken by a wildlife camera in Hluhluwe, South Africa. The photo was shared online by conservation group Wildlife ACT.