The Reichstag building in Berlin.

       (Markus Schreiber / Associated Press)

       Associated Press

       July 20, 2023 1:26 AM PT

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       BERLIN —

       German authorities warned people in Berlin’s southern suburbs Thursday to watch out for a potentially dangerous animal, suspected to be a lioness, that was on the loose.

       Police in Brandenburg state, which surrounds the capital, issued a warning in the early hours of Thursday of an “escaped wild animal” and asked people in and around Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf — just outside Berlin’s city limits — to stay in their homes and bring their pets indoors.

       The warning was later extended to southern areas of Berlin, and an alert was sent on an official warning app that the animal was suspected to be a lioness. Veterinarians and hunters were participating in a search for the creature. Police had no immediate information on who owned it.

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       Two men reported seeing a big cat running after a wild boar, the latter of which is common in and around Berlin, police spokesman Daniel Kiep told local public broadcaster RBB.

       “The two gentlemen recorded a smartphone video, and even experienced police officers had to confirm that it is probably a lioness,” he said, adding that there were various reported sightings.

       Neither of Berlin’s two zoos nor any circuses were missing a lioness, he added.