German serial horse killer strikes again

A mysterious German "horse ripper" suspected of killing more than 40 horses apparently struck again yesterday.

Two mares were killed in the town of Helmstedt, near Hanover, and another two badly injured. Their stomachs had been slit open with a knife.

The police suspect that it was the work of an equine serial killer who killed 40 horses in a period of a few months in 1999, in the area around Hanover, in Lower Saxony.

Lower Saxony police set up a special investigation team and brought in forensic experts, a vet, and a psychologist to profile the killer, in the same way as they would with a normal murderer.

The police said: "We came to the conclusion that all the killings were the work of one man, but we have very little to go on."

Nearly all the horses killed were mares and most were privately owned riding horses loose in open fields. The only clues the police have to go on are that the killer is mobile but probably lives in Lower Saxony, and is probably a rider, because he knows about the anatomy of horses, and how to handle them.

"He knows where to strike. It may be he hates horse owners, the motive maybe sexual or it could simply be down to the pleasure he takes in killing," the police said.

There are tens of thousands of horses in Lower Saxony and owners have banded together to form patrols, but say it is impossible to protect them all. The German countryside is full of tourists and hikers in the summer and there is no way to identify the killer.