Four slaughtered pigs were recovered from the water in Køge Harbour on Thursday afternoon. Midt- og Vestsjællands Police believe the carcasses were killed with a bolt pistol and dumped before drifting into the harbor.
The Marine Home Guard in Køge was called out by the port authority to assist with the unusual task, DR reports. Flotilla commander Per Bach Lauritsen says a pig was lying in the water at Søndre Mole.
According to Lauritsen, the crew launched their rubber boat and pulled up a very large animal. Once it was on board, it became clear that the pig had been slaughtered.
The unit believed the job was finished and had begun cleaning the boat, per DR. Then came word that three more pigs had been spotted in the water off the mole.
With four carcasses in total, the remainder of the recovery was carried out together with Midt- og Vestsjællands Police. The animals were taken out of the water at the harbor in Køge.
Police point to slaughterhouse waste
Press officer Thomas Kristensen of Midt- og Vestsjællands Police says the animals appear to be slaughtered pigs. As he describes it, almost only skin and head were left on the carcasses.
Kristensen says the pigs look as if they were shot with a bolt pistol. The police assumption is that they were dumped somewhere and then drifted a considerable distance before reaching the harbor.
According to Kristensen, the matter is no longer a task for the police. He also says it will be difficult to establish how the four dead pigs ended up in Køge Harbour.
Lauritsen told DR that he is still puzzled by the find. He noted that it is not every day the Marine Home Guard sails out to collect pigs from the harbor.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact the police on 114. No further details about the origin of the carcasses have been released.
DR also published a correction alongside its article on the find. The broadcaster said it had initially used an image in which an artificial intelligence supported tool was used to draw a graphic ring around the dead pigs.
That process unintentionally altered the photograph, according to DR. The outlet replaced it with the original picture and apologized for the error.
The recovery took place in the commercial port area of Køge, south of Copenhagen. The harbor lies at the inner end of Køge Bay, where currents can carry floating material over long stretches of water.
