GERMAN cops have urged people to stay indoors as a suspected lioness on the loose was spotted in the capital.
Officers advised the residents of Berlin’s southern suburbs not to leave their houses and to keep their pets indoors.
BNO NewsCops in Berlin urged locals to stay indoors after a loose lion was spotted[/caption]
BNO NewsA police operation is underway after footage showing the animal in Berlin emerged[/caption]
Authorities in Brandenburg state warned residents of the districts of Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf to watch out for a potentially dangerous animal, suspected to be a lioness, that was on the loose.
The warning came after locals reported seeing a predator, seemingly a lioness attacking a wild boar.
A police operation involving a helicopter and thermal imaging cameras was underway with the help of the fire brigade.
Two men reported seeing a big cat running after a wild boar, the latter common in and around Berlin, police spokesman Daniel Kiep said.
He told BILD: “Around midnight, witnesses saw a predator tearing down a wild boar.
“We also got video material about it. It is therefore a lioness. There is currently no reason for us to doubt its authenticity.”
He added that zoos, animal parks, circuses and animal sanctuaries had been checked but none of them is missing a lioness.
“We don’t know where it came from,” he said.
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.
Vets and hunters were participating in a search for the beast.
Brandenburg Police tweeted this morning: “The wild animal that escaped has not yet been found!
“We ask you not to leave your houses.”
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online.Thesun.co.uk is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.