Raccoon invasion

last updated 8 January 2015

Hesse, Germany

American raccoons have become terrible pests in Germany, Der Spiegel reported this week. The animals were introduced to the country in the 1930s, when several breeding pairs escaped from a fur farm. Since then, their numbers have been growing steadily, with an unexplained surge over the past decade. Last year, hunters killed 30,000 raccoons across Germany, more than three times the cull from just six years ago. Farmers complain that the animals plunder orchards and vineyards, while bird enthusiasts say that raccoons are eating the eggs of rare species. Native to North America, raccoons have no natural predators in Germany.