Beaver in Lower Austria Decapitated: Suspect Identified
During house searches conducted by officers of the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Kaumberg, evidence was secured according to police information on Wednesday. These included beaver pelts, tails, and skulls, as well as an owl and a dormouse. Long guns and handguns were also discovered.
Pelts, Tails, Skulls, and Weapons Secured During House Search
According to police spokesman Johann Baumschlager, the suspect partially confessed. A provisional weapons ban was imposed on the man. He also faces charges under § 181f of the Criminal Code (Intentional Damage to Animal or Plant Populations) to the St. Pölten public prosecutor's office. Additionally, a genetic examination of the beaver heads will be conducted at the authority's request.
Decapitated Beavers Discovered in Organic Waste
The first killed animal was discovered on February 17, and the second one a month later at a composting facility in St. Veit a. d. Gölsen. The beavers are said to have been decapitated and disposed of in organic waste. After a police appeal, a witness came forward and led the LKA investigators (environmental crime) to the suspect. The beaver (Castor fiber) is a protected wildlife species under the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive and is fully protected under the Lower Austria Nature Conservation Act 2000 and the Lower Austria Species Protection Ordinance.
(APA/Red)
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