Munich, June 22, (dpa/GNA) – An aggressive catfish measuring over 2 metres and weighing around 90 kilograms, injured at least five swimmers at Lake Brombach in the southern German state of Bavaria, police said on Saturday.
Police said an officer eventually shot the huge fish with his service weapon.
The incidents occurred late Friday afternoon near a floating island, where the giant fish had been lingering and repeatedly attacking people in the water.
Paramedics from the Red Cross treated bite wounds on the swimmers at the scene.
As the fish showed no signs of moving away and continued to pose a threat, the local water rescue service called in the police. Officers cordoned off the swimming area to prevent further incidents.
With the fish considered a danger to swimmers, emergency services decided to kill the animal. Two anglers later retrieved the 90-kilogram catfish by boat.
Catfish of this size are not uncommon in Germany and have occasionally caused alarm.
More than 20 years ago, a giant catfish nicknamed “Kuno the killer” gained international media attention after reports it had swallowed a small dog in a German lake near the Polish border.
When a large dead catfish was discovered in a pond in the western German city of Mönchengladbach in 2003, it was believed to be Kuno. The fish was later stuffed and put on display in a museum.
GNA
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