Another beheaded beaver discovered: police call for help!

Another beheaded beaver discovered: police call for help!

In a worrying incident, two beheaded beavers were discovered on two consecutive dates in a composting facility in St. Veit an der Gölsen, district of Lilienfeld. The first beaver was found on February 17, 2025 at around 4 p.m. by an employee of the facility and immediately reported the nature conservation department of the state of Lower Austria. The country's wildlife management then took over the rescue of the carcass and forwarded it to the research institute for wildlife and ecology (FIWI) for an investigation. F postduction results of March 13, 2025 showed metal-density shadows in the area of ​​the neck and the shoulder, which indicates a gunshot trauma, reports Kosmo .

The origin of the animal could no longer be precisely determined due to the long storage in organic waste. Nevertheless, on March 17, 2025, the remains of a beheaded beaver were once again discovered in the same composting system. This carcass was also handed over to the FIWI. Investigations by the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office were initiated to get to the bottom of environmental crime. The employee of the facility was able to state that the garbage in which the beavers were found came from a truck charge from single-family houses in the southern part of the Lilienfeld district, in particular from the municipalities of Mitterbach am Erlaufsee, Türnitz, Annaberg and St. Aegyd, such as 5min reported.

legal situation and protection of the beaver

The beaver, scientifically known as *Castor Fiber *, enjoys strict protection in Austria according to the European Fauna-Flora-Habitat guideline 92/43/EEC as well as the Lower Austrian Nature Conservation Act 2000 and the Lower Austrian species protection regulation. The illegal killing of these animals represents a serious violation of species protection and raises questions about compliance with animal welfare laws. The Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office is calling on the population to report information on these incidents confidentially on 059133-30-3333.

The problem of beaver protection is also relevant beyond the borders of Austria. In Germany, the beaver was eradicated by human influences in the 19th century, but successfully resolved in the 1960s to 1980s. Today's inventory is estimated in Bavaria at around 22,000 animals. In Bavaria there is a comprehensive beaver management that is supported by volunteer beaver consultants and aims to minimize damage and to secure the condition of the beaver population, such as describes in detail.