Lions Roaming Free in Nashville and Indianapolis? Probably Just a Facebook Meme
If you’re living in Nashville or Indianapolis, there’s no need to panic – no, there are no lions prowling the streets. Despite two separate Facebook posts with identical photos claiming that a lion had escaped from a local zoo, officials have confirmed that all of their big cats are present and accounted for.
Of course, it’s not like people were actually worried in the first place. I mean, seriously, who would believe that a deadly predator was roaming around urban areas with millions of people? Come on now, give us all little credit for common sense.
But that didn’t stop these Facebook posts from garnering thousands of likes, shares, and comments. In fact, some people were even getting a bit excited at the thought of seeing a real-life lion on their morning commute. “I hope I see him before animal control catches him,” wrote one user. “I’ve always wanted to pet a lion.”
Let’s pause there for a moment. Did this person really just say they want to pet a lion? The same creature that can run up to 50 miles per hour and has teeth sharp enough to crush bones? Yep, seems like we’re dealing with a bunch of geniuses here.
Anyway, back to the story. As soon as the posts began to go viral, officials at the Nashville Zoo and Indianapolis Zoo were quick to issue statements reassuring the public that everything was under control. “We can confirm that there are no missing lions from our facility,” said the Nashville Zoo in a tweet. “The photo that is circulating on social media is not a lion from our zoo.”
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Zoo took a lighter tone in their response, perhaps realizing that this whole situation was more amusing than anything else. “While there’s no need to be alarmed, we do want to remind everyone not to pet the lions,” they wrote on Facebook.
Despite all of this, though, people continued to share and comment on the posts, with some even claiming to have seen the lion themselves. “I saw it running down my street last night,” wrote one person. “It was definitely a lion – I would recognize those fierce eyes anywhere.”
Sure, buddy. It was probably just your neighbor’s golden retriever with a particularly impressive mane.
Look, we get it – social media can be a powerful tool for spreading information and asking for help in times of crisis. But come on, guys, let’s take a second to think critically about what we’re reading before we hit the “share” button. And let’s definitely not go around trying to pet lions that we think are roaming the streets.
In conclusion, the only thing we can be sure of in this whole saga is that Facebook memes can be pretty entertaining, even if they have no basis in reality. Let’s just hope that next time a viral post claims that llamas are loose in downtown Chicago or kangaroos are hopping around San Francisco, we can all take it with a grain of salt. And maybe, just maybe, we can resist the urge to pet them too.”
