a wild animal, “probably a lioness”, reported around Berlin

The Berlin region (Germany) is on the alert. Major searches mobilizing helicopters and drones are underway, Thursday, July 20, on the outskirts of the German federal capital, to try to find a wild animal “who could be a lioness”authorities said.

The authorities have first asked the inhabitants of the southwestern districts of Berlin not to leave their homes. They then extended the alert zone to peripheral municipalities between Berlin and Potsdam.

The city police were notified around midnight by “two passers-by who had seen an animal chasing another”, overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. “One was a wild boar and the other was obviously a beast, a lioness”detailed Daniel Keip, spokesman for the Brandenburg police. The video has since found its way onto social media. Ie presumed feline was seen “by police colleagues during the night”assured another local police spokesperson.

“The animal has still not been found! We ask you to stay at home”wrote the Brandenburg police on Twitter Thursday morning. AT Kleinmachnow, a small town near Berlin where the animal was seen, walks in the forest and jogging are prohibited for residents. Two helicopters, drones and thermal imaging cameras are used for the searches. The police are also assisted by a veterinarian and two hunters. The mayor of the town said Thursday that the beast should “if possible” be put to sleep and handed over to the animal welfare office.