Wels attacks on Lake Brombach: Animal rights activists are calling for immediate measures!

Wels attacks on Lake Brombach: Animal rights activists are calling for immediate measures!

Am Brombachsee in Bavaria, which is known as the popular destination for bathers, has been a remarkable incident in the past few weeks, which has not only launched the local population, but also angler and animal welfare organizations. The reason for this was the fatal incident with a European Wels , which weighs over two meters long and around 90 kilograms, which has attacked several people near the shore. These attacks caused excitement, since the aggressive behavior of the fish can be interpreted as an instinctive protection of its brood, which is very popular in the discussions about the incident. According to the Swabian Post Back beaches new to the field of vision.

The first incident occurred on Friday, 20. June 2025 , when the catfish injured at least five bathers within just two hours and the police called on the scene. This reacted immediately by blocking the bathing area and finally deciding to kill the animal. A police officer gave up the fatal shot after the attacks represented an escalation, which can be explained by the male's defense behavior according to the egg laying. The animal welfare organization Peta reacted promptly and decided to file a complaint because of the incident, since it branded the killing of the catfish as illegal. The death of the fish and the circumstances of his shooting have become a top priority; The Reporting of the Exxpress underlines the legal implications that could follow from such interventions.

discussion about the danger situation

The chairman of the Ostalb fishing club, voin stojanovic , is critical of the situation and demands more objectivity in dealing with the shy and nocturnal catfish. "As a rule, catfish do not attack, it is often a misunderstanding in human perception," explains Stojanovic. He reminds that these impressive fish can become up to three meters long and are native to domestic waters such as the Rötlen-Stausee and the Bucher Stausee . "The incident is interpreted as a protective behavior of the catfish that wants to protect its brood near the shore," says the ASV chairman, who also suggests temporarily blocking the lake for bathers in order to prevent further conflicts.

Reporting on aggressive catfish attacks has also attracted national attention. Safety measures were therefore taken to protect bathers, including removing swimmins and setting up signs on the affected areas. According to the Wikipedia page on the catfish attacks in Brombachsee , echolot recording were also carried out in order to check the waters for further catfish. Sensitive topics include the possibilities of how to behave in such a situation in order not to endanger nature, especially during the reproduction period.

The incident not only initiated a discussion among anglers and animal rights activists, but also a broader debate about how YYP is to be dealt with with the animals in our waters. The events around the Brombachsee are an important memory of the fact that we should respect the way of life of the animals and that misunderstandings due to human activities could often be avoided.