An unusual warning reached the population south of Berlin on Thursday night: a free-roaming big cat is said to have been sighted in the Kleinmachnow community in Brandenburg. A few seconds of cell phone video from a witness shows the animal sneaking around between bushes and trees.
The investigating authorities consider the video to be genuine. During the night, police officers also saw the big cat – presumably a lioness – “secured”, said a spokeswoman for the authorities.
The sought-after predator may have been sighted again in the border area between Berlin and Brandenburg. That said a spokeswoman for the Berlin police. The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported.
The Königsweg in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district had already been closed in the afternoon. In the afternoon, clues led the police to Zehlendorf in the area of the forest cemetery – but the trail led nowhere. “There were no indications or traces that the animal was actually there,” the police said on Twitter in the afternoon.
So initially there was no trace of the animal. No blood, feces, or paw prints indicated his presence in the area. With a large contingent, the police and fire brigade were on duty throughout the day. They searched for the animal with drones, helicopters and thermal imaging cameras, supported by veterinarians and hunters.
Also search at night
The police in Berlin and Brandenburg continue the search for the predator at night. In the south of the capital, around 220 police officers are deployed in the area where there were possible sightings, said the spokeswoman for the Berlin police.
Veterinarians and the city hunter are involved in the search. Night vision goggles and a night vision drone should be used. “We will be in action until the animal is found,” said spokeswoman Ostertag. The operation concentrated on the Zehlendorf area, where there were the possible sightings.
Above all is the question: Where does the lioness come from?
Mayor: “Serious situation”
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. Private owners are not known in Kleinmachnow, Mayor Michael Grubert (SPD) said at a press conference. He spoke of a “serious situation”.
The private keeping of wild animals is a state matter in Germany. In Berlin it is forbidden, in Brandenburg there is no special regulation apart from the Federal Species Protection Ordinance. Findings about an illegal attitude were initially not known. According to the State Environment Agency, 23 lions are registered in Brandenburg. These are three circus companies, two zoos and a private attitude.
The quiet community of Kleinmachnow, which borders directly on Berlin, was caught cold by the search. “If I hadn’t been called early this morning at 6 a.m. by a person from the fire department, who I knew would not tell me a story at 6 a.m. (…), I would have thought it was a joke at first,” said Mayor Michael Grubert (SPD). “It’s just a different working day. I haven’t gotten what I wanted yet.”
In Kleinmachnow, helicopters were already in action during the night. According to a dpa reporter, everything in the community seemed completely normal on Thursday morning. There was hardly any sign of the search for a dangerous predator. Cyclists were out and about, dog walkers, people on their way to work or to go shopping. Work was done on construction sites.
The community tried to let everyday life run its course without taking too many risks. So Kleinmachnow left the kindergartens open, but asked that the children stay on the premises. The weekly market has been reduced. A café in the center should keep the doors closed. Life went on as normal, many people were also on foot or by bike. What indicated the search for a lioness was the police, some of which were present.
This is how you behave in an encounter
A wildlife expert advised residents not to act suddenly if they encountered the suspected lioness. “The most important thing is that the animals feel that they are in control of the situation,” said Heribert Hofer, director of the dpa’s Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. According to the police, the animal they are looking for is probably a lioness.
“What has to be avoided is the element of surprise” when a lioness is suddenly confronted with a human. “This is a situation where she experiences a loss of control of the situation.” This could result in reactions because the animal feels endangered and might therefore defend itself.
The warning from the Federal Office also includes the south of Berlin, such as Steglitz, Marienfelde and Neukölln. The city of Potsdam also called on its residents to be vigilant on Thursday: “Open your eyes! Potsdam is not far away,” the city announced on Twitter.
According to estimates by experts from zoos and animal parks in Berlin, a lioness would be perfectly fine in a local forest during the summer months. In a terrain unknown to her, it can be assumed that she will withdraw into the undergrowth and not actively seek contact with people, the facilities said. “The risk of a wild animal attacking a human directly in an open area such as a forest, park or field is also lower than when it feels cornered and threatened in a residential area.”
What happens to the animal?
The fate of the animal is still unclear should it be found. A spokeswoman for the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark said there were a veterinarian and two hunters with weapons on site. When the animal is found, a decision is made as to whether to use anesthetic or shoot it. Kleinmachnow’s mayor relied on capture and stunning if necessary.
If an animal should be caught in the wild, tele-injection with an anesthetic gun is used, said May Hokan from the environmental foundation World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) of the dpa in Berlin. Zoo veterinarians, who can deal well with such situations even under stress, could do this best.
The vet described possible problems: “When you meet a lion like that, it doesn’t fall over straight away and fall asleep. There is a stressful phase, it has this arrow in its butt, it will start running and make a fuss.” This takes a few minutes, also depending on the type of anesthetic. “We then have a difficult phase before the animal falls asleep and the animal can be approached.”
Theoretically it would also be possible to shoot it down. “Depending on how the situation is likely to be assessed by the veterinarian and the police, the animal will also be shot in such situations. Of course, there must be certainty that there are no people around. It’s not that easy either,” said May.
Really a lioness?
From the point of view of the veterinarian Achim Gruber from the Free University of Berlin, doubts remain as to whether the predator we are looking for is a lioness. “I think it’s possible that it’s a lioness, but I’m not convinced,” said Gruber in the RBB special.
As a scientist, he is careful. There are many arguments that it is a lioness. “But the final proof is still pending for me,” said Gruber.
The mobile phone recording is blurred and the light could be deceptive. He bet on the hunting dogs that were looking for the animal. The dogs that are used are very good. 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.
