"Need measures"

Hungry raccoons endanger native wildlife

Raccoons can pose a serious threat to European fauna.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Uwe Zucchi)

As an invasive species, the raccoon, originally from North America, is increasingly conquering the European continent. Without natural predators, the hungry predators continue to spread and endanger native fauna with their appetite for amphibians and reptiles, as a recently published study from Germany shows. 

"We believe it is necessary to establish management measures for raccoons in areas where rare species occur in order to ensure the overarching conservation goal of preserving endangered species," explained Sven Klimpel from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center and Frankfurt's Goethe University.

Small predators with a bear's appetite
Klimpel's research team examined the feces, stomach contents and parasite fauna of 108 raccoons from nature reserves in Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, as the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research announced in Frankfurt on Tuesday. "The results of the study clearly show that the spawning grounds of amphibians and reptiles in particular are used as a food resource by raccoons," said Klimpel.

Native frog species are on the raccoons' menu.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Frank Rumpenhorst)

For example, common toads, pond newts, grass frogs and grass snakes have been identified in the stomachs of raccoons. "During the sampling in the Hessian Spessart, for example, we counted over 400 skinned toads in one day in a water area of around 2,000 square meters." This confirms earlier findings that raccoons can develop into specialists that prefer certain species.

Parasites as additional evidence
Another indication that amphibians and reptiles are regularly preyed upon by raccoons in Germany came from the analysis of parasites. "Unlike the stomach content analyses, this also allows conclusions to be drawn about interaction processes between the animals and the food organisms that are more distant in time," it said. A total of 16 parasite species were detected on and in the raccoons.

"Interestingly, we also identified parasites that are typical of amphibians and reptiles," explained Klimpel. This is further evidence that native amphibians and reptiles are regularly eaten by raccoons.

Never feed raccoons!
In Austria, the first sightings of raccoons in the wild occurred as early as the 1970s. The animals had often escaped from fur farms. These nocturnal animals also lived in suburbs, parks and gardens. Now and again, the animals choose attics, sheds or even cellars as sleeping or birthing places. If you see a raccoon in your own garden, do not feed it! The animals tend to lose their shyness and become increasingly intrusive.