No lioness in Kleinmachnow
“Most expensive safari in German forests” – police use more stripes
Michael Grubert, Mayor of Kleinmachnow, explains at a press conference why the wanted predator is not a lioness.
© Paul Zinken / DPA
For 30 hours, the police searched in the forest near Berlin for a big cat, which is probably a wild boar. Criticism of the effort and costs of the action is now coming from police circles – the Ministry of the Interior is meanwhile sending even more officials on patrol.
After the end of the search for a supposed predator in the south of Berlin, the Brandenburger continues Police around Kleinmachnow more patrols. “It’s about strengthening the subjective feeling of security among citizens,” said a spokesman for the situation center. But there were no incidents. The use of more police officers in the Kleinmachnow area should be maintained this weekend, the spokesman said.
Lioness search suspended after 30 hours
On Friday afternoon, the police stopped a large-scale search with hundreds of police officers, helicopters, drones and thermal imaging cameras after around 30 hours. Experts had previously stated that an animal sighted near Kleinmachnow on Thursday night was not a big cat.
A video snippet with the alleged predator had made the rounds of social networks on Thursday morning. The investigating authorities assessed the video as genuine. According to a spokeswoman for the authorities, police officers said they had also seen a wild animal “secured”.
Interior Minister defends the effort
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) has defended the large-scale police operation. “The safety of the population has top priority,” Stübgen told the DPA news agency. “After the first indications, it could not be ruled out that we were dealing with a predator – and it would not have been the first dangerous animal to escape in our region.” The measures were therefore “absolutely appropriate”. Thank you to all the forces involved.
The deputy head of the German police union, Heiko Teggatz, has meanwhile criticized the costs in the “Bild” newspaper. “This mission is undoubtedly the most expensive safari that has ever existed in Germany’s forests,” he told the newspaper. Such an operation with helicopters, drones and several hundred emergency services quickly cost the taxpayer several 100,000 euros. The Ministry of the Interior, on the other hand, said that the operation had not yet been evaluated, which is why no statements could be made about the total costs at the moment.