They are sometimes referred to as ‘Nazi raccoons’ because they are an invasive species introduced into Germany under the orders of Herman Goering who was an avid hunter who was appointed the national chief hunter, forestry minister and supreme commissioner for nature conservation in 1934.
Raccoons are native to North America but on April 12, 1934, with great fanfare, a couple of breeding pairs of raccoons were introduced into the wild to enrich the local fauna of the area. They procreated and migrated along the banks of the Eder and Fulda to Kassel where they settled and continued to procreate in great numbers.
The Times reports that there are now 30,000 of them living among the city’s human population of 200,000. This is a density of one animal per hectare and it is 25 times the figure found anywhere else in Germany.
They raid bins in the city and it is said that they are living in a raccoon’s paradise because of their food options. As an invasive species some people don’t like them because they throw young birds out of their nests and devour large numbers of endangered amphibians and reptiles found in Germany. They eat worms, frogs, fruits, nuts, acorns and whatever they can find in dustbins.
They have become a bit of a tourist attraction because you can buy T-shirts and raccoon toys at souvenir shops.
And if you can catch them, you can turn them into sausages as one butcher has done from the state of Saxony-Anhalt. He makes raccoon sausages and meatballs and his customers liked the taste and texture.
Throughout Germany it is now estimated that there are 2 million raccoons. Not all of them come from the two breeding pairs mentioned above. Many raccoons were imported to Europe over the past century to breed on fur farms. Some inevitably escaped and others were released.
Some consider them to be a pest and a nuisance and they can be regarded as a wild animal that spreads disease through their bite and droppings. Conservationists say they pose a threat to native creatures.
They are a classic story of invasive species but at the moment it would appear that the administrators of Kassel are not doing anything dramatic about it as would have been the case in Australia. They would have been totally eradicated by now in Australia through poisoning and shooting.
The video below which is been shared online shows more than a dozen of the animals roaming at night through the streets of Kassel.
Thanks for this. Interesting story. It seems that the Germans are fairly tolerant of this invasive species. They are quite cute and they can be pets. But they can harm humans. Wandering domestic cats and raccoons get along okay it seems. They mind their own business and leave each other alone normally.