After a two-day long lion hunt, the police now come with a clear message.
There is no lion.
– There is no danger to the public, says mayor Michael Grubert at a press conference.
Yesterday, the police in Berlin and Brandenburg launched a major search operation after the public tipped off that a lioness was on the run. For two days, the police have put great resources into finding the lion.
A film purporting to show the lion in a forest grove was analyzed early on by the police and deemed credible.
Several warnings have gone out to residents south of the German capital. Among other things, the authorities have urged people to keep pets inside and avoid jogging in the forest.
The Mayor: Not a lion
During Friday, the police held a new press conference about the lion hunt together with Kleinmachnow’s mayor Michael Grubert. At the press conference, it was announced that the search effort is continuing – but that there is in all probability no lion.
– In consultation with the police, I can in good conscience tell the population that there is no danger to the public, says the mayor at the press conference.
Both the mayor and the police talked about analyzing hairs and feces, which indicate that it is not a lion.
The “wild boar theory” takes hold
What is described in the German media as the “wild boar theory” has taken hold in several places. Several experts have firmly asserted that the much-discussed footage of the lion actually shows a wild boar.
– If it’s a lion, I’ll eat my hat, circus director Michael Rogall told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel.
At the press conference, the police stated that during the morning they investigated a tip that turned out to be about a wild boar family.
The mayor also showed pictures and videos of the alleged lion and stated that neither the back, the tail nor the shape match what a lion looks like.