Animal World 2025 - From Carp Alarm to Swallowed Wedding Ring - Germany’s Wildest Animal Incidents: From Courtroom Dogs to Killer Catfish
Germany has seen a string of unusual animal-related incidents in recent months. From legal disputes involving pets to unexpected wildlife encounters, these events have captured public attention. Some cases even ended up in court or required intervention from authorities.
One particularly controversial incident involved the culling of baboons at Nuremberg Zoo, which sparked hundreds of criminal complaints. Meanwhile, a giant catfish attacking swimmers led to a swift and dramatic response from police.
At Nuremberg Zoo, twelve healthy baboons were killed in May due to overcrowding in their enclosure. The decision triggered outrage, with around 350 criminal complaints filed against the zoo’s management.
In a separate incident on June 20, a two-metre-long catfish attacked swimmers at Lake Brombach in Middle Franconia. Several people were injured before authorities intervened. Police, working with an angling club and water rescue teams, concluded the fish posed a serious risk. They killed the catfish, believing it was likely a protective father defending its young amid low water levels. Elsewhere, a butcher in Simbach am Inn, Lower Bavaria, made a surprising discovery while processing a cow named Herzal. Inside its stomach, he found farmer Johannes Brandhuber’s long-lost wedding ring. The farmer had no idea how the ring ended up there. A Munich dog named Urax became the centre of a bizarre legal case. His owner had registered him as an authorised representative, and when Urax received a letter from Germany’s public broadcasting fee service, she sent it back. The case went to court, with a ruling issued on September 12, 2024, at the Munich Administrative Court. Other odd events included a four-year-old dog named Bella from Upper Bavaria, who escaped her garden and boarded an S-Bahn train to Schwabhausen near Dachau. Meanwhile, a cat in Nersingen, near Neu-Ulm, was found curled up inside a parcel at a depot after an employee heard meowing. At Landshut animal park, a rhea swallowed a child’s glove on New Year’s Day, requiring veterinary attention. One of the most remarkable journeys was made by Vincent, a bearded vulture from Berchtesgaden National Park. The bird flew 1,600 kilometres across Germany, eventually reaching the North Sea coast.
These incidents highlight the unpredictable ways animals and humans sometimes intersect. The baboon culling led to legal consequences, while the catfish attack prompted a safety-driven response. Other cases, like Urax’s court appearance or Bella’s train ride, simply left people amused.
Authorities and experts continue to address the fallout from these events, with some cases still under review.
