Two lions have escaped from a transport container at Singapore airport leading to a stand-off with staff.

One of the lions was reportedly seen lying on top of the container it was supposed to be transported in, in the incident which took place at Changi Airport, which is located in the citystate of Singapore, on Sunday 12th December.

There was a stand-off between the lions and members of staff, but the animals were eventually shot with a tranquiliser gun, according to local media.

There are currently in the care of the Mandai Wildlife Group, while they recover from being sedated.

The shipment was reportedly being handled by Singapore Airlines, who had to call in a veterinary and carnivore expert team to deal with the situation.

It is currently unclear where the big cats had flown in from and where they were going next but the shipment is said to have comprised seven lions in total.

The airport reportedly stated that even after they had escaped, the lions had remained inside safety netting that had been installed around the container.

There was reportedly no disruption to the airline’s schedule.

The airport said: “While the incident is being investigated, the immediate priority is the lions’ well-being. SIA is working with Mandai Wildlife Group, which operates Singapore’s only wildlife facility that is equipped to look after large carnivores, on this.”