Friedberg (dpa / lhe) – After the recent discovery of dead hedgehogs in the Wetterau, the police and public prosecutors searched a man’s apartment. The investigators said on Thursday that they were being investigated on suspicion of violating the Animal Welfare Act. The two dead animals were discovered on Tuesday in a bucket near the castle park in Ober-Mörlen in the Wetteraukreis. After forensic investigations, the apartment was searched a day later. Evidence was secured, which now has to be evaluated. The man from the Wetteraukreis has not yet commented on the allegations. Investigators did not release any further information about him.

Carcasses of hedgehogs and other animals have been found in the Wetterau since summer 2020. In August 2021, a man was arrested as a suspected animal abuser, and investigators discovered dead and live animals in his apartment. He was recently sentenced to two years and ten months in prison by the district court in Friedberg. It is unclear whether there is a connection to the recent crime.