Four slaughtered pigs found floating in Køge Harbour

Four dead pigs were found in Køge Harbour on Thursday afternoon, with only their skin and heads remaining, Danish broadcaster DR reported. Police believe the animals were shot with a captive-bolt pistol before being dumped and drifting into the harbour.

Per Bach Lauritsen, flotilla commander of Køge’s maritime home guard, was called to the harbour to retrieve a pig spotted in the water near Søndre Mole.

“We launch our inflatable boat and get hold of a huge pig. When we bring it up, we can see that it is a slaughtered pig,” Lauritsen told DR.

The crew initially thought the task was complete, but were then told that three more pigs had been seen in the water.

The recovery of the four animals was carried out in cooperation with the Mid- and West Zealand Police. Police spokesperson Thomas Kristensen said the pigs appeared to have been slaughtered, with “almost only skin and head left”.

“It looks as though the pigs were shot with a captive-bolt pistol,” Kristensen said. He added that police assumed the animals had been dumped somewhere before drifting a considerable distance.

Kristensen said the matter was no longer a police task and that it would be difficult to establish how the pigs ended up in Køge Harbour.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact police on 114.