Updated 14:04 | Published 13:21
The German “lion” has been hunted by 350 people.
The animal, which was thought to be a lion, has now turned out to be a wild boar.
Kleinmachnow’s mayor announced this on Friday.
– We assume that it is not a lion, says Michael Grubert.
Kleinmachnow, a small town in southern Berlin on the border with the federal state of Brandenburg, was reached on Wednesday night by unusual news.
A supposed lioness is said to have been seen in the small town during the night.
– Around midnight we received a report that shocked us. Two passers-by saw a wild boar running after a predatory cat, like a lion, says Daniel Keip of the Brandenburg Police to Aftonbladet.
Already in the morning, the media reported on the animal and the police began an extensive search operation that lasted for several days.
Mayor’s press conference
On Friday afternoon, the mayor called a press conference.
Then he told us that people no longer believe it is a lion.
– With all human judgement, we don’t think it’s a lion, said Klienmachnow mayor Michael Gruber.
At the press conference, he showed pictures that proved why the “lion” is probably a wild boar.
The mayor said that lions’ tails move when they walk, unlike the animal in the video. Furthermore, he said that the animal in the video – unlike lions – has a more rounded back.
During Friday, stool and hair samples were sent to a German forensic institute. The results are expected to come on Saturday.
The background
The two witnesses who raised the alarm on Thursday had filmed the whole thing.
The video, which was sent to the police, went viral on the internet and sparked speculation about what kind of animal it really was. It shows how a predator-like feline sneaks into a bush on the side of the road in the small town.
Police confirmed it is believed to be a female lion. Even Kleinmachnow’s mayor, according to the German RBB, went out with the message that “the video is believed to be genuine”.
– Two police officers have also seen the animal. We therefore assume that it is a lioness, says Daniel Keip on Friday morning to Aftonbladet.
Unusually large effort
As the city is on the border between two states, the rescue service, police and public order committee managed the operation from both sides.
– We here in Brandenburg have had 100 police officers on site and have been searching since Thursday morning, said Daniel Kneip of the Brandenburg police.
In addition to the hundred police officers, the state of Berlin had also stepped up its force on Friday with another 120 police officers.
But it wasn’t just the police who searched for the animal. On both sides, municipal employees, animal trackers and veterinarians were also involved, which meant that there were an estimated 350 people involved in the case.
The police also received many tips about the animal’s whereabouts on Friday.
– We then go with the entire search effort to the location with a drone. But so far no tips have been good enough to find the lion, says Daniel Keip.
– Since it could be a lion, we take this very seriously. Police helicopters, drones, thermal imaging cameras and over a hundred police officers will continue the hunt for the lion until the danger has subsided, says Daniel Keip on Friday morning.
The danger was deemed to have subsided a few hours later, when the mayor at a press conference decided to end the search efforts.
No lion was missing
Where the animal came from was unclear on Thursday and Friday.
On the Internet, there were several different theories about where the “lion” came from, including that it had escaped from a zoo. After investigations, it turned out that none of Germany’s zoos lacked an animal that resembled a lion.
The German environmental agency had identified 23 lions registered in Brandenburg. Three circus companies, two zoos and a private animal keeper were involved.
The private keeper has been checked by police and the lion had not escaped, a police spokesman said on Friday.
The police did not want to participate in the speculation surrounding the animal.
– We do not speculate about it. All I can say is that we of the police are on duty to avert danger. As long as the danger situation is as it is, we will continue the search, says Daniel Keip, press spokesman at the police directorate West, the police in Brandenburg.
At 1 pm on Friday, the city of Kleinmachnow held a press conference about the danger situation and stated that it was not a lion.