The woman calling from the residential district of Spandau, west of Berlin, is a bit panicked. The raccoons have turned the lawn in search of food. 80% of the garden is devastated. This lady would like to set traps, but it is forbidden, regrets the hunter Hans-Dieter: “You can see them every day, wherever there is water, green spaces and trees. He climbs on the roofs of houses, enters through windows and doors. They are like home. They are looking for food, a place to nest and raise their young.”
“We can’t put them off any longer, it’s too late.”
Hans Dieterat franceinfo
1,000 masked mammals are said to have colonized Berlin. The phenomenon is gaining momentum and more and more residents of the capital’s green belt are discovering that raccoons have taken refuge under their roof. This is the case of Harald, who has just carried out €8,000 of work to repair the damage: “We had noticed nothing, heard nothing. It was the neighbor who warned us“, he says.
The raccoon snuck under the tiles of his roof. “He made a shelter at the level of the gable of the house and we found food. He had undoubtedly been there a long time. We had to redo the whole roof and all the insulation. It cost us dearly, the work lasted a week“, he explains.
To reassure worried residents, veterinarian Mathilde Leindinger has set up an emergency number. She, who practices south of Berlin, shares her home with four raccoons. Faced with growing discontent, she wants to do pedagogy. “The raccoon is considered an invasive species, which is absolutely false“, she defends.
This animal has been present since the end of the 19th century in Germany, she recalls. “It is part of our fauna. They are wonderful animals that are friendly and absolutely not aggressive. There is no good reason to kill a raccoon“, assures the veterinarian. To calm the situation and not attract raccoons, the Berlin authorities distill common sense advice. gardens.