A crazed catfish has been shot by police after it was ‘driven mad by techno music’ and attacked five people.
The victims were treated by emergency teams after they suffered bite wounds while bathing in a lake.
It is believed the Wels catfish, which was around two metres in length, went crazy because of pumping beats from a nearby festival.
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At the time of the shooting on Sunday (22 Jun), revellers were celebrating at the Burning Beach festival in Badestrand Allmannsdorf, Pleinfeld, Bavaria, a state in the southeast of Germany, as reported by Need To Know.
After the swimmers were attacked, a guard moved out on his boat in an attempt to guide the catfish away.
But this caused further agitation, and the police were called in.
Local press have reported that the large freshwater fish may have been driven mad by the sounds of techno music.
Fish are thought to become stressed by persistent or sudden noises.
Sounds can increase their cortisol levels, according to research from the Journal of Experimental Biology.
The fish could also have felt disturbed during its spawning time, which takes place between late May and early July.
Professor Robert Arlinghaus, a scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Water Research in Berlin, told local press: “The catfish stores its spawn near the shore.
“If a swimmer approaches, it sometimes defends the offspring.”
An angler later discovered the catfish’s dead body and was able to pull the creature ashore.
The species can grow up to three meters long, but they are not usually dangerous or known for biting.
They weigh 200kg and can live up to 100 years old.
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