MUNICH (DPA)
A search for a suspected puma near Munich airport has so far proved unsuccessful, with thermal imaging cameras failing to detect any sign of the animal overnight, police said on Thursday.
The Notzingermoos nature reserve in the Erding district of southern Germany was searched from the air using thermal imaging technology, but no new leads emerged, a police spokeswoman said.
Police also searched the area on Wednesday using a helicopter, drones, and numerous officers on the ground, but found no trace of the animal.
The ground search was called off at around 7 pm (1700 GMT) as darkness fell, a police spokesman said.
Police also responded to a false alarm after a security guard spotted a suspicious animal on surveillance footage.
A helicopter was sent to investigate but found no big cat.
The animal was believed to have been a domestic cat, police said.
A hunter spotted and filmed a suspicious animal using a night-vision device late on Tuesday evening.
After examining the footage, an expert said it was possible that the animal was a puma.
However, local authorities stressed that the species had not yet been identified and that the footage was still being analysed.
It also remains unclear where the animal could have come from.