Crocodile alarm on Lake Constance: Fire brigade clarifies joke!

Crocodile alarm on Lake Constance: Fire brigade clarifies joke!

A strange commitment to the Konstanz fire brigade occurred on Friday, June 13, 2025, when walkers discovered a head with scaly contours, which protruded from a pool. This caused the assumption that a crocodile made the idyll unsafe on Lake Constance. But the first impression was deceptive: The study turned out that it was a deceptively real dummy that caused a lot of excitement.

The fire brigade was alerted at around 8 a.m. and immediately moved out to the smuggler bay. Fire brigade spokesman Fabian Daltoe reported on the “careful” approach of the emergency services, who first probed the situation. In fact, it was necessary to act quickly because the police and the fire brigade must be prepared for such unexpected reports in their operational tactics. Previously, the water protection police had already inspected and confirmed the area on Thursday, June 12 that there was no danger from a wild animal. An informed person had noted that it could be an art object, but this did not cause less excitement.

a life in the water

The assignment carried out on Friday lasted until around 8.45 a.m. when the emergency services handed over the dummy of the police. However, the true mystery remains the origin of the crocodile plush toy, the owner of which reported to the police on Friday afternoon and planned the pick-up on the same day. The police suspect a joke behind the campaign, not unlike an incident in July 2021, when a plush animal was incorrectly referred to as the "last surviving Lake Constance crocodile".

But the incident also lives light on the important work of the water rescue services. When using like this, it becomes clear how unpredictable situations can escalate quickly. These incidents not only require precise action, but also a comprehensive cooperation between the emergency services, as in the upcoming exercise of the water protection police in Mainz, which is devoted to the demonstration of its operational readiness. Eight fast boats carried out formation trips on the Rhine to show their skill and coordination. Such exercises are important to ensure safety on the water, especially at large events and monitoring shipping.

The role of water rescue

water rescue services play a crucial role in safety in waters. They are not only responsible for the rescue of people in emergencies, but also for the care of injuries, the rescue of material goods and disaster protection. These emergency services do everything possible to minimize the dangers of water, be it swimming, boating or in the case of floods. Organizations such as the Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG) or the Johanniter accident aid ensure that constantly trained rescue guests are available in order to be able to intervene quickly in an emergency. The goal is clear: security for people and animals that move on or in the water.

So it remains to be hoped that the exciting story about the crocodile on Lake Constance is not only an amusing anecdötchen, but also raises awareness of the importance of water rescue. After all, there is enough experience in matter to master the handling of such situations quickly and efficiently - even if the challenges sometimes come unexpectedly.

Südkurier reported , OP-Marburg informs about the water protection police and X-Water explains the importance of water rescue .