Overview
- In the week of December 16–20, unknown individuals drained a fish-breeding pond at the former Breitenbach bathing site in the Eichsfeld district of Thuringia.
- Perpetrators broke a padlock on the adjustable outlet, used a stored crank to lower the water level, and then stole the crank.
- Pond mussels were found dead, and authorities warn that roughly 4,000 fish remain at risk of mass mortality with potentially enormous material losses.
- Nordhausen police opened investigations on suspicion of particularly serious theft and violations of the animal-protection law and appealed for witnesses.
- Officers are assessing potential links to a similar incident reported days earlier at the Birkungen reservoir.