Large cat spotted in Germany: Search runs – Diepresse.com
It should be a puma. The population of the affected district was stopped to avoid meadows and forests.
In the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, a search for a large cat is running. On Monday evening, the district informed the population about the Warn app Nina about the sighting of a large cat at the Geiseltalsee. Previously there had been a video on social networks to show the animal. It is very certain that the recordings are not a fake, emphasized the spokeswoman for the Saalekreis.
The population was called up to never approach the animal that has not yet been more identifiable or to be in meadows and forests. The Geiseltalsee is a flooded lignite mine and one of the largest artificial lakes in Germany. There is no zoo in the immediate vicinity.
In the small town of Braunsbedra, police and fire brigades with drones and a helicopter are looking for the possible predator. There was a first sighting on Friday evening in the area of Braunsbedra, said the responsible head of the Saalekreis, Sabine Faulstich. The video was very certainly not a fake, an employee of the district office had accepted it.
Supposedly a puma
« With 80 percent security, it is a puma, » explained Faulstich. If the animal is spotted, an expert should stun. Then it should be brought to a zoo. According to the district, a calf near the lake had been torn in the past few days. The carcass is now being examined more closely.
« Unfortunately, the video material is so bad that a conclusive evaluation is not possible, » said the spokesman for the Bergzoos Halle, Tom Bernheim. « You can only say about the video material that it could be a big cat, a predator. » Any other statement would be dubious.
It was a wild boar two years ago
In the summer of almost two years ago, a similar incident in Kleinmachnow near Berlin caused a stir: there, the police, hunters and veterinarians chased a supposed lioness for around 30 hours, including helicopters and drones – triggered by a cell phone video. International attention was great, in the end the alleged predator turned out to be wild boar. (APA)
