As of: March 25, 2024, 8:10 p.m
By: Anna-Lena Kiegerl
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The number of raccoons is increasing in a German district near Switzerland.
In the Alpine state itself, concerns about the spread are growing.
Zurich – The raccoon is no longer a rarity in many regions of Germany, including in Bavaria.
However, things are completely different in Switzerland; here the animals are still a rarity.
But that could change soon.
Raccoons are spreading in the German district of Waldshut, near the border with Switzerland.
Raccoons in Waldshut: “This will become a plague”
Concern about the spread is now growing in Switzerland, reports
20min.ch
.
National borders are not an issue for the animals, so they could soon appear in the canton of Zurich.
A plague is already expected in Waldshut.
The Waldshut district hunter Bernhard Kallup explains to the
Südkurier
: “This will become a plague, including for us.”
This can probably no longer be prevented, says Valentin Platten, wildlife officer in the Waldshut district, in an interview with the
Südkurier
.
“Once the raccoon appears, it becomes a real problem after two to three years,” explains Platten.
This is shown by the experience from other federal states.
Raccoon Invasion in Germany: Introduced from North America for fur
NABU reports that there are high population densities of raccoons in some regions of Germany.
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.
Since then it has spread throughout almost the entire country, including the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.
Nowadays even the meat of the wild animal is offered as food, for example a hunter sells salami etc. from raccoons.
In Germany, the raccoon is widespread in many regions.
© Imago/Malte Ossowski/SVEN SIMON
A completely different picture emerges in Switzerland.
As
waldwissen.net
informs, the animals are only found sporadically there.
Simon Capt, from the Center Suisse de Cartographie de la faune, created a database of all raccoons sighted and reported in Switzerland.
According to him, there is currently no reliable information that the species even reproduces in Switzerland.
A population of a few hundred animals is expected in neighboring Germany.
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Raccoon invasion from Germany: “Cannot be prevented”
When asked by
IPPEN.MEDIA,
the building department of the canton of Zurich explained: “The fact that raccoons come to the canton of Zurich cannot be prevented.
But with our behavior we can reduce the risk of conflicts.” For this reason, it is important not to feed the animals, even if they look “cute”.
There is currently no concrete evidence that the animals could have already spread there.
“In the last ten years there have been 22 reported sightings in the canton of Zurich, the last sighting was in November 2023. The sightings have not increased noticeably so far,” said the spokeswoman.
So far, the spread of raccoons in the canton has had no consequences.
“If the population multiplies, the likelihood of conflict situations also increases,” she explains.
According to NABU, there is evidence that raccoons can become a problem for local wildlife.
For example, the species has negative effects on the ground-nesting lapwing, amphibians and the red kite.
And the animal can also be a nuisance for people, as it repeatedly nests in attics or can even transmit diseases, as the Federal Environment Agency describes.
Raccoons often approach homes - this is how you can scare the animals away.