Bemidji lions escape for wrestling play date with neighbor dog

Photo by Tambako the Jaguar

​Spring life in Bemidji got a little less sleepy yesterday when two lion cubs escaped for a little adventure in town. But wait a second. Lions in Bemidji? Where have we been? Last time we were there, Paul Bunyan and Babe were the top attractions.

Marjan and Aslan, the 6-month-old males, escaped from Paul Bunyan's Animal Land by pushing open a pen gate while their main space was cleaned. They took off to a nearby yard where they found a dog friend to wrestle with. How darling.

"They were out playing by the woods, and a neighbor called. It was no big deal," Caara Holmstrom of Paul Bunyan's Animal Land told the Star Tribune.

Famous last words before one of the adults escapes and "wrestles" a human to death. It was just for fun!