The hunt for the lion of the Berlin region is cancelled; Officials say it may have been a wild boar: NPR

A wild boar was photographed in Berlin in November 2017. This week, local officials in a nearby suburb said they had mistaken one such animal for a lioness, prompting them to ask residents to stay indoors while they search for the animal.

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A wild boar was photographed in Berlin in November 2017. This week, local officials in a nearby suburb said they had mistaken one such animal for a lioness, prompting them to ask residents to stay indoors while they search for the animal.

Tobias Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images

Officials in the city of Kleinmachnow, Germany, have called off a two-day large-scale search for what they believed to be a loose lioness, saying the massive animal may have actually been an original specimen of wild boar.

The creature in question was first spotted around midnight Thursday (local time) in a wooded area on the southwestern outskirts of Berlin, according to The Guardian. Statement from the Brandenburg Police.

passerby Take a video For what they thought was a big cat chasing a wild boar, they then shared the footage with the police, who agreed that the presence of a lioness was “considered credible”.

An intense search continued in the forested area between Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg for more than 36 hours, with authorities urging residents to stay indoors and keep a close eye on their pets and children.

Police officers and hunters searched until early Friday for what authorities believed was an escaped lioness in Kleinmachnow, Germany.

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Police officers and hunters searched until early Friday for what authorities believed was an escaped lioness in Kleinmachnow, Germany.

Christian Mange / Getty Images

More than 30 patrol cars, helicopters, veterinarians and fishermen were present at the scene. Riot police stood by to help protect the local population. Warnings were broadcast to the public via loudspeakers, warning apps and social media.

But, from the start, officials were baffled by the predator’s origin. Police and local media reported that none of the local zoos, circuses, or animal rescue facilities said they had lost a cat.

Then, on Friday, Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grobert Reporters That he may not have been a lion all along.

Computer analysis of the cellphone footage revealed that the creature lacked the long, curved neck characteristic of big cats, Reuters reported. What appears to the eye as a long, winding tail could just be a shadow. And the color of the animal is light? Grobert said this is also found in some wild pigs.

“After another disguised advice this morning, the police and hunters visited a small area of ​​woodland,” the mayor added. “We just found a family of wild boars.”

Female lions can grow to lengths of up to 9 feet It weighs between 265 and 395 pounds, according to the Smithsonian National Institute of Conservation Biology and the National Zoo. In contrast, the average male Central European boar is about 4’11” tall and may weigh up to 441 pounds, according to European Landowners Association.

But the species is still dangerous to humans, with sharp, capable teeth Kill the hunters and harassing the locals.

The stay-at-home warning was lifted Friday, Groubert said, and search efforts will be greatly reduced. But he added that the police would be ready to respond if the situation changed.