Two lions, two tigers, a jaguar and a bear have been recaptured after breaking out of their cages in a western German zoo after heavy rains flooded the area and damaged their enclosures.

The incident at the privately-run Eifel Zoo in Luenebach, near the border with Luxembourg and Belgium, sparked a massive search by police as they warned local residents to stay indoors.

A German zoo
A bear which also escaped the facility was fatally shot (AP)

The big cats were all located after several hours with the help of a drone on the grounds of the zoo, and were successfully corralled back into their cages, police spokesman Joerg Raskopp said.

The bear escaped from the 30-hectare (75-acre) zoo grounds into the rolling hills of the Eifel region and had to be shot, Mr Raskopp said.