Kleinmachnow
After a lion search: the result of track analyzes is available
A community hunter searches the forest in the area of the southern state border of Berlin. photo
© Fabian Sommer/dpa
After the end of the search for a supposed big cat in Kleinmachnow, the question remains: which animal was it? Now there are answers.
After a laboratory analysis, there is now more clarity: In the woods at Kleinmachnow south of Berlin there was no lioness on the move. An initial evaluation of a faecal sample showed that the animal being looked for was a herbivore, said a spokeswoman for the Potsdam-Mittelmark district on Monday. “We don’t have to assume a lion.” The “Tagesspiegel” had previously reported on the evaluation of the sample.
The result of a hair sample is expected on Monday afternoon, said the district spokeswoman. Since the hair found is missing the hair root, it is compared to a lion’s hair at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Leipzig.
The search for an alleged predator made headlines beyond Germany. The authorities no longer saw any acute danger on Friday and, based on the assessment of experts, no longer assumed that there was a lioness in the region. Search operations – also with helicopters and drones – had also brought no evidence of a free-roaming big cat.
The police and the community of Kleinmachnow started on Thursday due to a cell phone video by a witness. After an initial assessment, the police assumed that a lioness was probably running around freely in the forest. The population should limit outdoor activities.