“Plague” at the border: Switzerland fears raccoon invasion from Germany. Raccoons are spreading in the German district of Waldshut, near the border with Switzerland.
The species is actually not native here. The raccoon originally comes from North America. The animal 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. Nowadays even the meat of the wild animal is offered as food.