“Plague” at the border: Switzerland fears raccoon invasion from Germany. Raccoons are spreading in the German district of Waldshut, near the border with Switzerland.
Concern about the spread is now growing in Switzerland. A population of a few hundred animals is expected in neighboring Germany. The raccoon originally comes from North America. It was brought to Germany in the 1920s/30s as a fur supplier. In 1934, the raccoon was deliberately released for the first time in Hesse with the aim of settling it in Germany.