He probably assumed that he was looking at a wild boar: A hunter in Baden-Württemberg shot and seriously injured an Icelandic horse.
The 34-year-old first saw a horde of wild boars in the forest at Ebersbach-Musbach near Ravensburg on Wednesday evening, as the police announced on Thursday.
With a thermal imaging device, he supposedly spotted the pigs at the edge of the forest again - and shot one of the animals from around 80 meters away.
Only when he approached the injured animal did the man realize, according to the police, that he had shot a group of ponies.
The injured Icelandic horse was operated on in a veterinary clinic.
The hunter is investigated on suspicion of violating the Animal Welfare Act and disregard of his duty of care under the Hunting Protection Act.
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wit / dpa