Berlin (CNN) A bear was shot dead after it escaped from an enclosure at a zoo in western Germany on Friday, authorities have said.

Earlier authorities from the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm district said two lions, two tigers and a jaguar had escaped from the zoo, but officials later clarified that the big cats had never left their enclosures. Police had advised residents to remain indoors.

While the warning was still active on the police website Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Prüm police clarified that the bear was the only animal at the park to break free.

Marc Potzsch, a spokesperson of the district's disaster management organization -- which is made up of police and fire brigades -- said the bear had managed to leave its cage after a heavy downpour early Friday morning.

The high rainfall had caused zoo cages to flood and authorities had initially been unable to verify the whereabouts of cats, sparking fears of a mass breakout.

Read More