A major police operation is underway in Berlin amid reports of an escaped lioness in the German capital.
Residents in some areas have been warned to stay indoors as scores of police tried to track the animal down.
Police were said to be first alerted around midnight by two members of the public, who recorded mobile phone footage of what appeared to be a wild boar and a lion.
German police are asking people near Berlin to stay inside after a big cat, believed to be a lion, was seen pic.twitter.com/1tspcIikrQ
— BNO News (@BNONews) July 20, 2023
Exberliner Digital Editor Peter Matthews told Moncrieff it is being taken very seriously.
"There's a video that's been [seen] on Twitter, which I think everyone's reacting to, which seems to show a lioness perhaps eating a wild boar on the side of the road," he said.
"There might be more sightings, but that's the only video that's been shared online.
"There's a big police operation looking for the lion, so it seems to be being taken pretty seriously".
Police cars are parked in a residential area in Berlin, Germany during the search for wild animal believed to be a lioness. Picture by: Fabian Sommer/dpa/Alamy Live NewsHe said several precautions are in place for residents.
"People have been told to stay inside, children have been kept inside from kindergarten, and I think even some market stalls are advised not to set up," he said
"They've asked zoos, animal parks and circuses to check if there's any lions missing - but apparently there aren't any.
"It might make a difference too because I think at zoos, the animal would be more or less wild, whereas if it's from a circus it would be used to humans.
"Apparently it makes a difference where it's from but we don't know," he added.
