You're reading: Russian children find lion cub, take it to school

MOSCOW — Most primary school classes get a goldfish to keep, a hamster or a turtle if they're lucky — but children from one village in southern Russia got to play with a lion cub.

Children
in the Rostov region found the 5-month old cub on the steppe Wednesday
and brought it to their teacher, who kept it in the school gym, police
said Thursday.

While waiting for police, children petted and
played with the cub, named Barsik. One boy even tried to ride it like a
horse while it mewled and swiped at the air.

The cub had escaped
from a car on the way to a zoo in Dagestan in the North Caucasus. It has
now been removed from the school and placed in a local zoo.Children
in the Rostov region found the 5-month old cub on the steppe Wednesday
and brought it to their teacher, who kept it in the school gym, police
said Thursday.

While waiting for police, children petted and
played with the cub, named Barsik. One boy even tried to ride it like a
horse while it mewled and swiped at the air.

The cub had escaped
from a car on the way to a zoo in Dagestan in the North Caucasus. It has
now been removed from the school and placed in a local zoo.