Police search for runaway lion in Russia's Volga area

Police are searching for a lion reported to have escaped from his owner in Russia's Volga republic of Tatarstan, local rescuers said on Tuesday.

KAZAN, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Police are searching for a lion reported to have escaped from his owner in Russia's Volga republic of Tatarstan, local rescuers said on Tuesday.

"We believe that the lion ran away from a private property" in the villa community of Krasny Bor, a spokesman said.

The rescuers said the lion was last seen near the city of Agryz. The animal is believed to have swum across the Kama River, a tributary of the Volga, and hidden in a nearby village.