AP PHOTOS: Traveling circus stays put in virus-hit Italy

ROME (AP) — They say the show must go on, but the Rony Roller circus isn’t going anywhere right now.

The caravan sits idle in an empty field on the outskirts of Rome.

Acrobats, clowns and other artists are stuck here with dozens of animals — including lions, tigers and donkeys. Their last show was March 7, and, as the coronavirus pandemic rages around the globe, no one knows when they will hear the roar of a crowd again.

“It is strange for me to be with the lions in this silence, this darkness,” says circus director Rony Vassallo, 46. "I miss my audience. I miss them. I miss the big top, the applause.”

Italy is considering easing the nationwide lockdown, which was put in place more than a month ago to stop the spread of a virus that has resulted in the deaths of over 24,000 people in the country — the highest toll in Europe. But events that gather large crowds, such as circus shows, are unlikely to return anytime soon.

“The entertainment sector will be the last to reopen. I have heard rumors about December,” says Maverik Niemen, a 23-year-old clown with the Romina Orfei circus, which is currently parked in a field outside Naples. “Our only hope is that they find a vaccine.”

In the meantime, the animals still need to be fed — and some are big eaters. The circus has almost 100 animals, including three elephants, a hippo, zebras, llamas, horses, giraffes and camels.

When the circus ran out of food, local farmers donated hay, fruit and vegetables, distributed daily by Italy’s Civil Protection Agency.

“We are not used to asking for help,” says Davio Casartelli, a 64-year-old elephant and giraffe trainer. “I am looking forward to being able to give something back.”

The Italian Circus Association recently requested 10 million euros ($10,800...