Berlin police alerted residents on Thursday to the alleged presence of a lioness in a suburb southwest of the German capital. It is known so far that the animal is loose in the streets. Residents of the Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf regions have been warned not to leave their homes and to keep pets indoors.
A police spokesman said in the sparsely populated state of Brandenburg around the German capital that the police operation began last night, with the mobilization of two helicopters, and was expanded in the early hours of Thursday, when 100 policemen began chasing the animal. “We are currently working on the assumption that the animal is a lioness,” the spokesman told Reuters.
Public broadcaster RBB said the police operation also included thermal cameras and that the fire brigade also assisted them. A Brandenburg police spokesman said the alert about the animal’s presence was received around midnight, and that police initially thought it was a prank.
During the night, Berlin police said on Twitter that the area on high alert included the far south of the German capital.
Germany’s Federal Civil Protection Office issued a warning to local residents also advising them to keep any pets inside.
In response to a question about the origin of the wild animal, the police spokesman said that he did not have this information yet, but a number of places in the region could have a lioness, such as in zoos and circuses. However, none of these sites have yet reported the disappearance of an animal.
