Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Escaped lion rumours stir up residents

By Matthew Martin
Rotorua Daily Post·
9 Apr, 2014 07:47 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

In January 1986, lions escaped from a visiting circus. Rotorua police officer Mike Keefe keeps watch from the top of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Photo/File

In January 1986, lions escaped from a visiting circus. Rotorua police officer Mike Keefe keeps watch from the top of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Photo/File

Rumours of a lion escaping from Rotorua's Paradise Valley Springs Wildlife Park were just that, rumours.

Rotorua residents spread rumours of a lion on the loose during the weekend, leading to calls to the tourist attraction by the Rotorua District Council and concerned citizens this week.

But there was one occasion when four lions escaped from a circus visiting Rotorua in 1986.

It is not known who started the recent rumours, but Paradise Valley owner Stuart Hamlett said no one bothered to call him to check until he heard from the Rotorua Daily Post on Monday morning.

"It's a week too late for April Fools'," Mr Hamlett said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I heard people were saying Blomfield St was cordoned off and a cop had shot it.

"That evening [Monday], the council called me saying they had heard from a lady who was too scared to walk her dog because there was a lion on the loose.

"I also heard some people heard it on the radio as well."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Hamlett said the park had safe systems in place. It had kept lions there since 1978 and had never had an escape.

"I didn't lose a moment's sleep, but when the council rang I thought I'd check the den and contact you and do a story on it."

Mr Hamlett said he had no idea how the rumour started but thought someone may have heard a red stag roaring and mistook it for a lion.

Rumours were quick to spread on social media websites with queries on the Rotorua Daily Post Facebook page.

Discover more

Ill-treated pup bounces back

01 May 07:49 PM

But, back in 1986 a story made the front page with photographs of a lioness on the loose in the Village Green at the Lakefront and armed police on top of buildings. Four lions escaped from their cage just after a performance of the Whirling Brothers Circus on January 31.

One was quickly recaptured, but three others kept police and circus staff on their toes for at least two hours.

The circus owner said the lions had escaped after "street kids" had thrown a poodle into the lion cage which caused them to fight among themselves.

The poodle was stolen from a Rotorua property and was killed by the lions.

Roads leading to the Lakefront reserve were closed for two hours, staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital were told to stay inside and bowlers in the Government Gardens were cleared from greens.

Police at the time were highly critical of a large number of onlookers, including parents with children, who hampered efforts to recapture them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily PostUpdated

'All sorts of destruction': Tornado strikes Hamilton, thunderstorms buffet upper North Island

29 May 10:05 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Lakeside holiday homeowners face big sewerage bills

29 May 04:57 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Crash cuts power to hundreds in Rotorua

29 May 04:28 AM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'All sorts of destruction': Tornado strikes Hamilton, thunderstorms buffet upper North Island

'All sorts of destruction': Tornado strikes Hamilton, thunderstorms buffet upper North Island

29 May 10:05 AM

Civil Defence warned Waikato weather remains 'highly dynamic'.

Lakeside holiday homeowners face big sewerage bills

Lakeside holiday homeowners face big sewerage bills

29 May 04:57 AM
Crash cuts power to hundreds in Rotorua

Crash cuts power to hundreds in Rotorua

29 May 04:28 AM
'A city that’s finding its feet again': Businesses optimistic in survey, air connectivity key issue

'A city that’s finding its feet again': Businesses optimistic in survey, air connectivity key issue

29 May 12:00 AM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP