After law enforcement officers, hunters and veterinarians engaged in a two-day hunt for a supposed lionessesReportedly roaming freely in a wooded suburb of Berlin, the local mayor said on Friday that the beast could actually be a wild boar, Reuters reports.

Mayor Michael Grubert shows images in which he claims the loose animal near Berlin was a wild boar, not a lionessPhoto: Paul Zinken / DPA / Profimedia

The search, which began early Thursday evening after a call from passers-by, will now be scaled back, although police will still be on alert, Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert said.

Computer analysis of cell phone records initially given to police, as well as other photos taken by local residents, showed that the “lioness” was probably actually a wild boar, Grubert told a news conference.

He held up photographs that showed the animal did not have the long curved neck characteristic of felines. What looked like the long tail of a lioness in the image could have been a shadow from the vegetation.

“This morning, following another convincing piece of information, the police and hunters visited a small area of ​​the forest,” added Grubert. “We only found a family of boars.”

The search, which involved around 100 police officers using helicopters, thermal imaging cameras and drones, was carried out after police believed a phone video showed a lion and a boar chasing each other.

Grubert said the stay-at-home warning for suburban residents Thursday is no longer in effect. He expressed understanding to the officers, who initially thought the video showed a lion.

“I myself was surprised how easily the boars moved,” he said, adding that it was impossible to prove that the lion was not there.