Beer-swigging daredevils search for missing lioness amid pleas to stay inside
Daredevils drinking beer have joined the search for a lioness that has been on the run in Berlin for more than 24 hours - as the town's mayor has urged people to stay indoors.
Photos from today show huge armoured cars and gunmen with high-powered rifles loaded with tranquillisers in the German city. Police are understood to have checked in with zoos, animal parks, circuses and animal shelters - but none are missing a big cat.
More than 220 German police officers armed with guns and night-vision goggles have been prowling the streets as the hunt continues into the night.
Residents in the neighbourhoods of Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf have been told to stay in their homes and keep their windows closed.
Police officers coordinate the search for a wild animal in a residential area in Teltow (AP)At about 8pm local time, there was a reported sighting of the lioness in Kleinmachnow, but it has yet to be found.
Nursery apologises after child with Down's syndrome ‘treated less favourably’
Residents in the area have started to leave their homes and some were even drinking beer as they chatted to their neighbours about the big cat.
Three women were also seen carrying bottles of beer and two went into the woods as authorities fear the lioness hunt is being an attraction, German newspaper Bild reports.
Two men also said they saw the big cat chasing after a boar (@BNONews/Twitter)
Vets and hunters are involved in tracking down the creature (@BNONews/Twitter)Kleinmachnow mayor Michael Grubert has warned residents that now is not the time "to go jogging in the woods".
It is unclear where this lioness came from. Police speculate it could be an escaped pet as no zoo or circus has reported a missing lioness.
The alarm was raised after two men saw a big cat running after a wild boar, police spokesman Daniel Keip told local public broadcaster rbb. Wild boars are common in Germany.
"The two gentlemen recorded a smartphone video and even experienced police officers had to confirm that it is probably a lioness," he said, adding that there have been various reported sightings.
Bild reports, according to the veterinary office, no private lion owners are known in the region, leading to the possibility of an illegally kept predatory animal likely bought by the 'lion mafia' in Eastern Europe.
Interestingly, if it is illegal possession, the person must pay for the search in full.
After advising locals to stay inside, a police spokesperson yesterday said: "We have deployed massive forces at the site to protect the population."
Despite the alert, life appeared to be continuing as normal in the town of Kleinmachnow of about 20,000 people, with people walking dogs and cycling, German news agency dpa reported.
Dad in stitches over 5-year-old daughter's sassy response to homework question
Hunters were among the search team (Sven K'uler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)Yesterday, Children's nurseries were open but children were not being allowed to play in the gardens, the local council said. The town hall was open. Traders at the town's market were urged not to set up stalls.
"The primary aim, if at all possible, is to capture the animal, if necessary with an anaesthetic," Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert said.
"Other measures will only be taken on a case-by-case basis by police officers on the ground if their own lives or those of others are endangered."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
