'Lion' On The Loose Is Actually Another Animal

An animal on the loose in Germany initially suspected to be a lioness is actually a wild boar, authorities confirmed on Friday (July 21) via CBS News.

Authorities said they received calls and a video regarding a wild animal at around midnight on Wednesday (July 19), which led to a search involving at least 30 deployed police cars and veterinarians in the south-western outskirts of the city. A video shared on Twitter, which is suspected to be real, showed what appeared to be a lioness in a heavily forested area in the German municipality of Kleinmachnow, however, was later determined to actually be a wild boar.

"We will return to the usual vigilant program and we think there is no acute danger for Kleinmachnow or for the south of Berlin," said Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert, adding that police would be able to revamp their search if the situation escalated.

Berlin Police spokesperson Daniel Keip told the German public broadcaster RBB that authorities have previously dealt with wild animal reports, but nothing like the suspected lioness incident.

"In the summer you often hear reports of crocodiles in swimming lakes and then it turns out all it was, was a big duck. In this case it's obviously totally real. We're dealing with a lioness that's roaming freely through Teltow, Stahnsdorf and Kleinmachnow," Keip said via BBC.com.

The animal's prior whereabouts have also not yet been determined as local zoos, sanctuaries and circuses confirmed that all lions were accounted for amid the report, while Michel Rogall, a circus director in Teltow, expressed doubts even prior to the confirmation of the animal being another species.

"If it's a lion, I'll eat my hat," Rogall told Der Tagesspiegel via BBC.com.