interview
What actually does…?
Supposed lioness in Berlin: This is how wildlife expert Derk Ehlert looks back on the search
Derk Ehlert, 56, in front of his office in Berlin
© Meike Kenn
The Berlin wildlife expert did not believe in the lioness, who was being searched for in Brandenburg and Berlin in the summer. He should be right. But he has certainly encountered exotic animals in the city.
Did you set off yourself?
The police were well positioned, numbering a hundred. In addition, investigations are already underway with experts and wildlife biologists who study the behavior of lions. So I didn’t have to actively support the search, but I did watch a video that had been taken that night.
They expressed doubts early on. Your first thought when you saw the footage?
I thought to myself, when will the lioness finally come into the picture? I only recognized two wild boars. The appearance of the tail, the movements and the position of the back clearly did not indicate a predatory cat to me.
According to the video evaluation and the laboratory results Feces and Hair samples gave the all-clear: the lioness actually turned out to be a wild boar.
We were already prepared to increase the search density and had a hunter team with additional rifles and fishing gear on standby in case the lioness made her way from the south of Berlin to the center.
“The largest animal was an elephant on Jakob-Kaiser-Platz”
Did you smile after the denouement?
You have to take every tip seriously. Of course I believed the police and witnesses who had seen such an animal. The only thing that bothered me was that there were no lion paw prints where it was spotted.
© twitter/@lqzzel
From the night of Wednesday, July 19th, to Thursday until Friday afternoon, July 21st, 2023, a search was carried out in Berlin and Brandenburg for a supposed lioness. Dozens of police officers, hunters and veterinarians were on duty. A DNA analysis and the analysis of a video revealed that it was a wild boar instead. Ehlert, a wildlife consultant and nature expert for the city of Berlin, supported the search operation. He has been employed by the Senate Administration since 2001 and is a lecturer at the adult education center.
What other exotic animals have you come across?
Kangaroos, crocodiles, poisonous snakes and all the other creatures that people keep at home will eventually be outside too – if they escape. The largest animal was an elephant on Jakob-Kaiser-Platz that had escaped from a circus. The thing that occupied me for the longest time was a serval, a medium-sized big cat that roamed freely in Berlin for a year and a half.
Do you have an office in the Berlin Senate Administration, or do you just work outside?
I’m mostly outdoors in the morning and evening. In between, I use my desk to answer inquiries and provide educational work. City dwellers need to know what they should do if they encounter a marten in their garage. I explain to mothers who are afraid for their children because they see a fox with foam at the mouth on the playground that the fox is not immediately rabid, but is in the bag in the winter, for example, looking for one partner.