Hunt for 'Beast of Berlin' lioness ENDS as police believe animal is a boar

Authorities call off hunt for 'Beast of Berlin', saying 'no evidence of predator'

German authorities have determined that there is "no acute danger" to people in an area on the edge of Berlin where a potentially dangerous animal was spotted, saying they no longer believe a lioness is at large.

A search turned up no sign of any such predator, and experts who analysed a video have concluded that it may have been a wild boar.

Police were first alerted to the animal in Kleinmachnow, just outside Berlin's city limits, at around midnight on Wednesday when people reported what appeared to be a big cat chasing a wild boar. The informants also provided a video.

Based on that and a subsequent sighting of their own, police initially concluded that the animal was apparently a lioness.

But the big cat proved elusive in searches on Thursday and Friday in the flat, wooded area on the boundary between Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Several reported sightings went unconfirmed; in one case on Friday, police only found a family of wild boars.

(Fabian Sommer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

On Friday, police thoroughly searched woodland on both sides of the state boundary and found no indication at all of a lioness, any wild animal other than wild boars - which are common in the area - or an animal that had been killed, Kleinmachnow mayor Michael Grubert told reporters.

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Officials also had experts analyse the video and compare the animal that was depicted with the body structure of a lioness, Mr Grubert added.

Two experts concluded independently of each other that "this isn't a lioness or a wild animal" and that the creature "tends toward a wild boar", he said.

"We think there is no acute danger for Kleinmachnow or for the south of Berlin," the mayor said, adding that police would be able to step up straight away if the situation changes.

Mr Grubert defended the large, 36-hour deployment, in which helicopters, drones and infrared cameras were used and vets and hunters participated, as "appropriate".

"The danger of a wild animal in Kleinmachnow justifies the deployment," he said, adding that he would act the same way "if I were in the situation today".

Crime lord's son appeals for information about lioness' whereabouts

The son of a notorious German crime lord has asked for information as to the whereabouts of the lioness - suggesting it could be his.

Firas Remmo, whose dad is Issa Remmo - the leader of an infamous Berlin mob - said he's also involved in the search.

He said people should share information directly with him, rather than the police, so they can bring her back before "some idiot shoots her down".

The family is known as one of the most-dangerous members of a syndicate known to Berliners as the "Arab Mafia".

The big cat-loving mobster has shared pictures on Instagram showing himself sitting beside a young tiger cub on a sofa.

He wrote on the platform: "If anyone knows anything please let me know first then we can drive the lioness back to her enclosure before some idiot shoots her down."

Remmo called the lioness "Nala" in his post, which has been shared by followers and friends.

The family are said to have been involved in a number of large robberies in recent years across the capital. One such raid was the theft of a giant gold coin from a museum Berlin, and another was an ?8billion bank robbery, reports the MailOnline.

Search can't continue for days, says local mayor

The Mayor of Kleinmachnow, Michael Grubert, told local media that "professional animal track searchers" are involved in the operation.

But he added that the hunt "can't carry on for days", adding that he expects the search will turn up a notch today.

Brandenburg cops prepare for Operation Lion Hunt (Fabian Sommer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Police 'currently assuming' video of lion is 'authentic'

Police have said they're "currently assuming" that the video shared last night shows a "big cat" as they confirmed that officers had also seen the beast.

Through a spokesoman, cops said they had a number of reports of a wild animal prowling around midnight Wednesday night.

Local woman fears sausage dog could be 'ideal lion food'

A woman identifed only as Sarah, who moved to Germany from Botswana - where lions roam freely - said it's very strange how she needs to be concerned about the big cats in a city like Berlin.

"I used to live in Botswana, and I thought then I would be worried about lions, but here in Berlin it's very strange", she said as she headed out for a bike ride.

Another local, Lutz Peters, said she fears her dogs could be just what the lioness is looking for.

Ms Peters told Sky News: "I have two little dachshunds. What am I supposed to think? That's probably the ideal lion food."

Experts say the animal may have already been chomping down on the local wildlife.

One hunter was seen looking for signs of blood to see if the lioness had taken any prey and plucked what looked like a hair for analysis.

There are 220 cops, hunters, and vets involved in the search operation (Fabian Sommer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Police plan to tranquilise animal but will kill if there is risk to human life

Last night police confirmed their plans for capturing the animal.

Rather than shooting to kill like many expected, they plan to use tranquiliser darts to subdue the beast so they can seize it and take it to an animal shelter.

Kleinmachnow mayor Michael Grubert if the lion posed a threat to human life, it would have to be killed.

A police armoured car, drives into the wooded area near Stahnsdorf (Jörg Bergmann / BILD)

Lioness 'roar' heard overnight but not in search area

Residents reported hearing the roar of a lion in the middle of the night.

The sounds are said to have come from the Zehlendorf area, which is close to the outer limits of Berlin, but not where the search was focused last night, according to Berlin police.

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Germany's previous animal escapes

A similar incident back in May saw residents in Erfurt, in central Germany, told to watch out for a roaming kangaroo that had escaped from a private property.

And in 2016, another lion had to be shot dead after escaping from its enclosure in Leipzig when a tranquiliser failed to slow it down.

Fears of 'danger tourism' as officials fear area is becoming an attraction

Residents of nearby Potsdam were reportedly seen carrying bottles of beer through the town of Kleinmachnow and eyewitnesses reported seeing them venturing a couple of steps into the forest where the lioness is said to be lurking.

According to German daily, Bild, there are fears that the local area in which the lioness is said to be prowling may have already become a tourist attraction.

Yesterday, Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert chimed in, saying it definitely wasn't the time to "go jogging in the woods".

Officials are becoming concerned that the local area is becoming a tourist attraction (Annette Riedl/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Police entered "hot phase" in search after sightings last night

At around 8pm last night, police reported that they were entering a "hot phase" in the search amid hopes they could track the beast down before residents in the affected area awoke this morning.

Images of hunters gathering in Kleinmachnow emerged from the scene after reported sightings in the area. Police said they were targeting the search around wooded areas, believing that the lioness had gone into hiding.

A mother embraces her daughter as they watch police and animal experts carry out the search (Annette Riedl/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Mystery over where lioness escaped from

As the search enters its second day and hunters with nightvision goggles were seen looking for the beast overnight, it's still not clear where the lioness escaped from.

Nadine Ronco Alarc?n, from the animal protection organisation 'Four Paws', told Bild: "Since no zoo or circus has yet reported the animal as missing, it may be a private animal." Owners often want to use the animals to demonstrate their power or use it as a status symbol.