German authorities on Friday called off the search for the suspected fleeing lioness as no evidence of a wild cat on the loose was found in the suburbs of Berlin, Germany. Following analysis by some experts, police now believe the animal on the loose could be a wild boar after all, the BBC said.
The police spent more than a day looking for a wild animal, after a citizen reported the sighting of a feline to the authorities, but so far no traces have been found.
The animal was sighted in Kleinmachnow, on the outskirts of the city of Berlin, around midnight on Wednesday. People described it as a “big cat” chasing a wild boar and also provided video to authorities. Based on that video and another sighting, police concluded that the animal appeared to be a lioness.
During the search, two police officers also said they had seen a “very large cat” about 20 meters away on the same day.
The mayor of Kleinmachnow, Michael Grubert, revealed, however, this Friday that after all “everything indicates that she is not a lioness.”
At a press conference, Michael Grubert showed photographs that he considered proof that the animal in the video does not have the characteristic long, curved neck of lions, further arguing that what in the video appeared to be a long wagging tail could simply be a tail. shadow cast by vegetation.
“There is no serious danger,” the mayor guaranteed, adding that the police will remain alert in case the situation changes.
Kleinmachnow city spokeswoman Martina Bellack added that two specialists were called in to analyze the images.
“They both came to the conclusion that there was no chance it was a lion,” he said.
Another expert told local Berlin radio station RBB that from the images he had seen, the animal looked more like a wild boar, which is common in the region.
The search for the animal reached the mobilization of 120 police officers and several wildlife specialists.
Drones, helicopters and thermal cameras were also deployed before the searches were officially called off.
Source: TSF
