Police warn of ‘lioness’ on the loose in Berlin as people told to hide pets
An animal – believed to be a lioness – is on the loose just outside Berlin.
German police have asked residents to stay inside and bring in pets as hunters, vets, a helicopter and thermal cameras hunt for the wild animal.
Officers have been using loudspeakers to warn people in the Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf areas.
The warning was later extended to southern areas of Berlin and an alert was sent on an official warning app that the animal was suspected to be a lioness.
Police had no immediate information on who owned the animal.
Two men reported seeing a big cat running after a wild boar, the latter common in and around Berlin, according to reports.
Police officers coordinate the search for a wild animal in a residential area in Teltow, Germany
(AP)
“The two gentlemen recorded a smartphone video and even experienced police officers had to confirm that it is probably a lioness,” police spokesman Daniel Kiep told local broadcaster rbb.
A video posted on Twitter – which has not been verified – appears to show a lion in undergrowth. However, no zoos or circuses have reported missing an animal.
Police believe the animal could be sleeping in a wooded area.
“The escaping wild animal has NOT been found yet! We still ask you not to leave the house. If you see the animal, please call the emergency number 110!,” Brandenburg police tweeted.
In 2018, two lions, two tigers and a jaguar escaped their enclosures after storms destroyed fences in western Germany.
The big cats were later recaptured after being found by a drone, it was reported.
Meanwhile, a puma was reportedly seen on the loose in Cornwall in 2016 after a decapitated deer and large paw prints were found near where the animal was sighted.
