Police investigate 1,000 missing pigs after 400 found dead

Police are investigating the possible disappearance of about 1,000 pigs after 400 dead animals were found at a pig-fattening farm in the Amstetten district, ORF reported. Cannibalism among the animals cannot be ruled out, police said.

Authorities discovered “400 dead or partly decomposed pigs” at the farm, police spokesman Johann Baumschlager said. Another 88 pigs were alive and were distributed among nearby farms.

The farmer, who ran the farm alone, is believed not to have fed the pigs since the beginning of the year. He is also believed to have been in a psychological state of emergency and overwhelmed by the animals.

Neighbours complained about the smell of decomposition on July 24. Police and an official veterinarian then went to the farm. The operation has since been closed by the authorities.

Police are investigating what happened to the other animals. An analysis of the farm’s purchase and sales records showed a “shortfall of about 1,000 animals”, Baumschlager said. Bones found at the farm mean cannibalism cannot be excluded.

The farmer will be reported to the St. Pölten public prosecutor’s office on suspicion of animal cruelty. The district authority is examining further consequences, including a possible ban on keeping animals.