A MAJESTIC mountain lion who spent 20 years in captivity as part of a cruel traveling circus has been set free.

    A film crew captured the tear-jerking moment Mufasa was released into the wild, having spent the majority of his life shackled in the back of a pick-up truck among rusting equipment.

    Even though wild animals are banned from circus performances in Peru, the beast went undetected by authorities as the group traveled between towns.

    In order to set Musafa free, wildlife officials and Animal Defenders International (ADI) staged a dramatic intervention.

    They raided the circus and had an eight-hour armed standoff with the troupe.

    With the help of riot police and a public prosecutor, they eventually managed to break the elderly big cat free from his shackles.

    Jan Creamer, from ADI, said, “It was heartbreaking to see Mufasa chained among the circus equipment, living on the back of a pick-up truck.

    “It is magical to see him moving about in and out of the trees in his own piece of protected forest.”(SD-Agencies)