Two lions, two tigers, a bear and a jaguar escape from a German zoo

Updated: 

The five big cats reportedly on the run from the Eifel zoo, had in fact never left their enclosures, according to the mayor of Arzfeld, Andreas Kruppert, who spoke to reporters. Euronews reports that the officials had lost track of them, he added, but they were found with the help of drones. The bear was found and shot dead. The privately owned Eifel zoo, in Lünebach, near the Belgian border, owns hundreds of animal species.

Earlier:

Deutsche Welle reports that several animals have managed to break out a zoo in Germany’s hilly Eifel area in the western state of Rheinland-Palatinate after flooding caused by storms eroded fences. The animals included two lions, two tigers, a bear and a jaguar. The bear has already been shot.

The region was hit by severe storms in the early hours of the morning, which led to cages being damage. This  allowed the animals to escape, a police spokesperson said.

AP quoted police saying that all of the escaped animals were believed to still be on the grounds of the zoo in the town of Lünebach, near the border with Luxembourg and Belgium. Police have warned residents in the nearby area to stay inside their homes. A search operation is underway to locate the animals.