BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A mysterious crate labelled "Wild Animals" and blasting out lions' roars in a German town had locals running scared and animal lovers up in arms before it was revealed as an advertising stunt, police said on Tuesday.
"The crate was right in the town centre and people thought there were real lions inside," said a spokesman for police in the southwestern town of Darmstadt. "It was loud. A lot of people were really scared."
Police came to investigate after two women complained about the treatment of the animals apparently locked in the crate.
Gingerly approaching the crate, they ventured a look through a slit in its side but, instead of discovering caged beasts angrily stalking the container, they saw a promotional video for Land Rover vehicles intercut with shots of roaring lions.
A spokeswoman for Land Rover said the campaign had been running for a few months and had so far proved a success.
"We've generally only had positive feedback on it so far," she said. "We've never had this kind of response before."