Lee Heidhues 7.20.2023
A lioness in Berlin has taken it upon herself to take a road trip.
Local authorities are vexed because neither the Berlin Zoo or the Circus have reported an AWOL (absent without leave) feline.
Authorities can only conclude, at this juncture, that the lioness decided to leave her home at a private estate or is, alarmingly, being kept captive by an animal trader.
Let’s hope the wandering lioness is found and safely returned to her native habitat. Which is not in the urban setting of Berlin but in the wilds of Africa.
Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 7.20.2023
A “loose, dangerous animal,” suspected to be an escaped big cat, was reportedly sighted in a Potsdam region on the fringes of the German capital on Thursday, police said.
“It’s clear lions can’t drop out of the sky, not in Germany, at least,” said Professor Heribert Hofer, director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin.
Authorities are using helicopters to track what they believe is a female lion and have called on residents to stay indoors, the rbb public broadcaster reported.
According to the German tabloid BILD, security forces were also using an armored vehicle, drones and infrared cameras in the search.
Police said veterinary specialists and hunters were also taking part in the operation to find the animal.
A police spokesman said drones were being employed where possible to avoid the usual search method of combing forest areas on foot.
On Thursday evening, a police spokesperson said that 220 officers were searching near where the animal was last seen in wooded areas near the municipalities of Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf at the southern edge of Berlin.
The search is expected to continue through the night with the aid of night vision devices, the spokesperson said.
“We will be on the job until the animal is found ,” the spokesperson added.
Although it is illegal to keep big cats in Berlin, it is possible in the neighboring state of Brandenburg, Hofer told DW.
The owner must have an expert certificate, keep and adequate private enclosure, and receive an official veterinarian check from the state.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-suspected-lioness-on-the-loose-outside-berlin/a-66291669
Lee's Perspective 