GERMAN police was forced to admit the suspected lioness roaming free that sent them on a goose chase in Berlin was in fact a wild boar.
Officials have called off the extensive search on the outskirts of the capital after determining the “missing” animal was not a big cat.
The footage of the animal sparked a huge police operation
GettyHundreds of police officers scoured the area in southern Berlin for over 30 hours[/caption]
ReutersVets with tranquilisers were also involved in the search for the missing animal[/caption]
A massive operation with riot cops, snipers and animal hunters was sparked yesterday after a video was handed to police showing what appeared to be a lioness.
Police spokesperson Daniel Keip confirmed this afternoon that police does not believe the beast is a lioness or even a wild animal after scouring a woodland in Berlin.
Speaking in a press briefing, the mayor of Kleinmachnow, Michael Grubert said “there is no longer any danger” after analysis of the video showing a wild animal suggested it was a wild boar.
“By all human judgment, we’re assuming it’s not a lioness,” he said.
The animal thought to be the lioness in the video was “with relative certainty” a boar, he said.
He added that the footage had been analysed by two specialists who compared it with images of lions on the prowl.
“Both came to the conclusion there was no way it was a lion,” Kleinmachnow city spokesperson Martina Bellack said in a statement.
Police had been combing the streets of suburban communities southwest of Berlin for over 30 hours using night-vision goggles and drones but to no avail.
Hundreds of officers resumed the “Operation Lion Hunt” this morning, alongside professional hunters and vets with tranquilising guns trying and track down the beast.
Terrified residents in the districts of Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf were urged to “stay inside” amid fears the escaped lioness hiding in the Nikolassee forest.
The alarm was first raised on Wednesday night when two people reported seeing a wild animal attacking a boar and filmed a video.
The footage was followed by another sighting by two cops so police speculated the animal was a lioness.
“Around midnight, witnesses saw a predator tearing down a wild boar,” police spokesman Daniel Kiep told Bild, adding that wild boars are common in the area.
“We also got video material about it. It is therefore a lioness. There is currently no reason for us to doubt its authenticity.”
Multiple reports of sightings sparked a huge search operation with hunters with tranquilliser guns, drones and thermal cameras.
A 15-ton special task force armoured vehicle known as “Survivor” also entered the hunt to assist the helicopters and drones.
More than 100 police officers have been frantically looking for the animal but no trace of it was found.
German authorities have been baffled by the sightings as no local zoo, circus or wildlife sanctuary has reported a creature missing.
Earlier today the Brandenburg police said today’s search efforts will be focused in the Wannsee-Düppel dog park.
Wildlife expert Derk Ehlert had earlier voiced doubt it was actually a lioness on the loose due to the absence of any trace of the beast since early Thursday.
“A lioness doesn’t just disappear into thin air,” he told public radio.
Ehlert and other specialists also noted the relatively short tail of the creature in the video, as well as its big ears.
“I’ve never seen a lion with jug ears,” circus owner Michel Rogall told local media.
GettyThe hunt for the wild animal continued amid fears it is hiding in the Nikolassee forest[/caption]
Jörg Bergmann / BILDA special task force armoured vehicle was also involved in the search[/caption]
