Raccoons plague in Dautmergen: Mayor picks up for hunting!

Raccoons plague in Dautmergen: Mayor picks up for hunting!

In the small community of Dautmergen, which is located in the Zollernalb district, a furry intruder causes excitement: the raccoons. These charming animals, which enchant every viewer with their striking black eyelets, have become a real problem. Mayor Hans Joachim Lippus pulled the emergency brake and hunted the animals to prevent damage to the community. However, this has not only been approved, but also triggered violent criticism, such as swr reported.

The raccoons have spread rapidly in Dautmergen and strip through front gardens and over terraces. The residents are concerned because the animals are not only known for their curiosity, but can also cause serious damage. They gnaw on house walls, loot vegetable gardens and rob chicken traps. They are also transmit from diseases, such as the raccoon pulm. To counteract this, the community has already caught and killed five raccoons. Despite these measures, the debate about hunting remains controversial, as well as schwäbische.de reported.

The legal framework

The hunt for raccoons in Germany is legal because the EU classifies these animals as an invasive way. In Baden-Württemberg, hunters are allowed to hunt the raccoons from July to mid-February. Mayor Lippus emphasizes that hunting is necessary to control the spread of animals. The Lower Hunting Authority of the Landratsamt supports this view and sees the "sharp hunting" as necessary to protect the domestic wildlife.

But the critics are numerous. Animal welfare associations require peaceful coexistence and complain that the weapon is reached too quickly instead of looking for alternative solutions. Professor Thorsten Behraben warns from the Rottenburg Forst University that the hunting in the long term is unrealistic, since the raccoons in Germany are already established in such a way that they can hardly be held back.

The dangers from raccoons

The raccoons are omnivores and their diet consists of around 40 percent of vegetable and 60 percent of animal components. As a result, they also endanger domestic types by eating amphibians and birds, for example. Mayor Lippus is worried about the potential health risks that are based on animals, in particular through the transmission of diseases such as the raccoon worm. A study has shown that 95 percent of the raccoons examined are infected with this parasite.

The raccoon question therefore remains a hot iron in Dautmergen. While the municipality is trying to gain control of the situation, the number of raccoons in the Zollernalbkreis is growing. Her population has at least tripled in the past four years. The debate about the correct procedure is continued in the community and beyond, while the raccoons continue to roam the streets and heat the minds.