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Residents have been warned to stay inside while police launch while they hunt down an escaped lioness on the prowl.

German police armed with tranquillisers guns have been joined by hunters, helicopters, drones, and armoured cars, in what local media have dubbed their efforts “Operation Lion Hunt”.

A huge effort is underway in the hope of locating the wild animal last spotted on the outskirts of Berlin.

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Residents have been issued a stark warning to remain indoors, adding pets should also be kept inside, until the “escaped wild animal” is located.

According to The Sun, a police spokesperson this morning said: "We have deployed massive forces at the site to protect the population."

"We are currently working on the assumption that the animal is a lioness," a spokesperson later added.

Five experienced hunters with tranquilliser guns are said to be combing the area alongside veterinarians, while police are using thermal imagery to scour the area.

Alongside the police, helicopters, and drones, a 15-ton special task force armoured vehicle known as “survivor” has joined the search teams.

Residents first reported seeing the escaped big cat last night. Initial reports claim that the beast was seen chasing after a wild boar.

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"Around midnight, witnesses saw a predator tearing down a wild boar," police spokesman Daniel Kiep told Bild, adding that wild boar are common in the area.

"We also got video material about it. It is therefore a lioness. There is currently no reason for us to doubt its authenticity."

Police have not yet confirmed where the big cat has escaped from.

The spokesperson added that zoos, animal parks, circuses and sanctuaries had been checked but none of them had reported a missing animal.

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"We don't know where it came from," he said.

Speaking to the publication, Vet Dr Fred Willizkat said that lions on the loose are not necessarily hungry but they're unpredictable.

They said: "That's what makes it dangerous, a lion can attack anything that he doesn't know and that scares him."

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A local resident, Mariam B said: "The lioness must have been right on our doorstep because the police searched there very intensively!"

“Dogs were barking all over the neighbourhood. We were told over the loudspeaker that we were not allowed to leave the house" she told Bild.

"Now we were finally allowed to take our children to the daycare centre.”

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• Dogs
• Animals
• Police
• Lions

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