The Berlin city hall announced on Friday, July 21, 2023, that the alert that had been in place for the past 24 hours has been lifted. The presumed wild animal being searched for is, in fact, most likely a wild boar.
The alert was lifted on Friday in Berlin and its surroundings, where the animal had been eagerly sought for over 24 hours, “is not a lioness” but more likely a wild boar, announced Michael Grubert, the mayor of Kleinmachnow, where the beast had been spotted.
“I assume that there is no danger in Berlin and its surroundings,” said Michael Grubert, the mayor of this municipality located southwest of Berlin, announcing the end of the search and explaining that independent experts had assessed from the video of the animal, filmed at night, that “it was probably a wild boar.”
Read also: “Stay at Home”: Escaped Lion Puts Berlin on Alert (Video)
“The authorities remain vigilant” The decision to end the alert was made in agreement with the police, Mr. Grubert said during a press conference in Kleinmachnow. “The authorities remain vigilant and in the event of any change in the situation, they are capable of resuming their services at any time,” he said.
The supposed wild animal had been seen and filmed by two passersby on Wednesday night to Thursday, and the police had initially believed they had identified a lioness by watching the video. Police officers had also thought they saw the animal later during the same night. More than a hundred police officers, supported by veterinarians and hunters, had been involved in the search. Helicopters, drones, and thermal cameras had also been used.
Residents of several municipalities on the outskirts of the capital as well as southwest Berlin had been asked to avoid wooded areas, which are numerous in the affected residential areas and extend to the outskirts of the affluent city of Potsdam.
