After disposing of 80 live carp in northern Swabia, the police received the first clues about the animal torturer they were looking for. Witness information about a specific vehicle is currently being checked, said police spokesman Stephan Roßmanith on Wednesday. “But we don’t have a suspect yet.”
On Sunday afternoon, one or more perpetrators threw the live animals into the grass near a transmission mast on the Hühnerberg in Harburg (Donau-Ries district). Shortly afterwards, walkers discovered the fish, but they all then suffocated. The investigators assume that the animals were driven up the mountain in a car in a water container and then thrown away next to a forest path.
Officials are still perplexed by the crime. The police spokesman explained that the crime scene was the highest point in the district. It is incomprehensible why anyone would bother to bring the big carp there and then throw them into the grass at the weekend. There are also a lot of walkers in the area at this time.
The investigators are also surprised that no one has missed the carp so far. The fish would be of eating quality and would probably have come from a breeding facility. “This is a very obscure case,” said Roßmanith. Officials are investigating suspected multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act.