Escaped big cat
Search for lioness in Berlin continues – police with helicopters and trackers in action
Three police officers on a major manhunt for an escaped big cat in southern Berlin
© Gerald Matzka / DPA
Helicopters and drones are in the air, police officers and firefighters are searching the streets and forests. The complex mission is for an escaped wild cat. is it a lioness
In the search for a free-roaming big cat in Berlin and Brandenburg, there were no new clues during the night. This was announced by the Berlin and Brandenburg police situation centers early on Friday morning. Accordingly, neither further sightings of witnesses nor traces of the animal were reported or found during the night. The search continues on Friday. “Around 7 a.m., the search measures should start properly again,” said a spokesman for the Brandenburg police.
According to the mayor of Kleinmachnow, Michael Grubert, professional animal trackers should then also be used. “It can’t go on like this for days,” said Grubert, with a view to the large-scale operation Police.
Lioness in Berlin: the police follow up on citizens’ tips
The police in Brandenburg and Berlin continued to search on Friday night. In the south of the capital, around 220 police officers are deployed in the area where there were possible sightings, a spokeswoman for the Berlin police said on Thursday evening. Veterinarians and the city hunter are involved in the search. Night vision goggles and a night vision drone should be used. The operation focused on the Zehlendorf area, where the animal may have been seen.
At the same time, the police in Brandenburg continued their search at night. The police said there were repeated reports from citizens to the police and the responsible regulatory office. These would be systematically checked. “So far, none of the clues have led to the identification of the wild animal we are looking for.”
In daylight, drones should then be used again for the search, it said.
Police officers are said to have seen a “secured” cat of prey
The warning reached the population south of Berlin on Thursday night: A free-roaming big cat is said to have been sighted in Kleinmachnow in Brandenburg. A few seconds of cell phone video from a witness shows an animal sneaking around between bushes and trees. The investigating authorities consider the video to be genuine. Police officers also saw the cat “secured” during the night, said a spokeswoman for the authorities.
There were other possible sightings in the afternoon and evening in the Berlin city area, near the southern border with Brandenburg. The Berlin police therefore concentrated their search on the area in Zehlendorf around the long Königsweg. Potsdam also called on residents to be vigilant: “Open your eyes! Potsdam is not far away,” the city said on Twitter.
At first, however, there was no trace: neither blood, nor faeces, nor paw prints indicated the presence of the animal in the region. From the point of view of the veterinarian Achim Gruber from the Free University of Berlin, doubts remain as to whether it is really a lioness. “I think it’s possible that it’s a lioness, but I’m not convinced,” said Gruber in the RBB special. He bet on the hunting dogs that were looking for the animal. If they don’t find any traces, this is “a strong piece of the puzzle” against the hypothesis that you are dealing with a lioness.
Question of origin remains a mystery
And if it really is a lioness, then the question remains: where does she come from? At least not from the zoos, animal parks and circuses in this region, as the police found out during the night. Nobody missed a big cat there. According to Mayor Grubert, private owners are not known in Kleinmachnow.
Note: Due to the dynamic situation, this article is constantly updated.