'Stay indoors': Escaped wild animal on the loose in Berlin prompts urgent citywide search
Helicopters and ground searches are taking place across the area.
LONDON -- A suspected lion is loose in Berlin, prompting authorities in Germany to send emergency alerts to thousands of people in Berlin warning them to stay indoors.
The message has warned thousands of people across Germany’s capital city to “stay indoors” after a lion was last seen on the outskirts of the metropolitan area.
Police said they received a tip from someone who said they recorded a lion attacking a wild boar which caused authorities to quickly spring into action and warn people to be on the lookout for the large cat.
“The escaping wild animal has NOT been found yet! We still ask you not to leave the house,” Brandenburg Police said in a social media post warning the public. “If you see the animal, please call the emergency number 110!”
Helicopters and ground searches are currently taking place across the area where it was last seen as officials clamber to find the animal before it potentially attacks anything else.
It is unclear where the lion escaped from, but lions are not native to the country and there have been no reports of any escaped animals from local zoos or wildlife refuges.