Leipzig Zoo: Two lions escape from enclosure sparking panic

Two lions have escaped from an enclosure in at zoo in Germany.

Leipzig Zoo in Germany is closed to the public while staff attempt to catch the animals.

The big cats, named Majo and Motshegetsi, have only been at the zoo since August.

An emergency plan has been put into action as zoo workers try to get them back into their enclosure.

Zoo officials told reporters the lions somehow escaped from their cages overnight and are somewhere within the zoo grounds.

Pictures show visitors waiting outside the entrance to the zoo after they arrived unaware it was closed to the public for their safety.

Emergency services are also at the scene.

The lions are about a year old and were born at Basel Zoo in Switzerland where they lived until they were recently transferred.