The mayor said they had not “found a single indication of any lion or wild animal, other than wild boar”.
“It’s like playing the lottery. You can’t keep playing, thinking you’ll win – but no, as is, there’s no indication it’s a lion,” he added.
Although officers had reported seeing something this morning – they weren’t very close – and Mr Grubert believes they may have just seen the wild boar.
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“I’ve seen a few big pigs in my time as mayor. And I was surprised at how light-coloured this big pig was,” he added.
The mayor stopped short of revealing how much had been spent on this investigation – and confirmed the search for a lion will now draw to a close.
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But Sky’s Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins reports that – if another credible sighting happens – the police will react.
Helicopters, drones and infrared cameras were involved in the investigation, with hunters and a vet also part of the effort.
The search was sparked by reports that a big cat was chasing a wild boar, and the witnesses had provided a video.
Nearby zoos, animal shelters and circuses had all confirmed that they weren’t missing a lioness – and the authorities had no information about one being privately owned nearby.
Unfortunately for the police, not everyone was taking the search seriously – with young people playing a loud recording of lion roars on a Bluetooth device in the middle of the night.