Mr Stehle told Das Bild he discovered the animal in December while walking along the riverbank close to his house.

"I went back with a chainsaw in January to take him out," he said.

"I wanted to put him on show to make sure nobody goes onto the ice. People should have respect for nature."

He added that it was not unusual for animals to break through the frozen surface of the river in winter. He says he's seen a frozen deer and wild boar before.

Elsewhere a 43 year old woman was killed in front of her children when she was crushed by a tree which had been uprooted by heavy winds near Nice in Southern France.