Map of Germany showing raccoon invasions (over 0.1 raccoons per hectare) as share of affected territory. Approximately 0% in 1990, 5% in 2000, 15% in 2010 and 35% in 2020. Source: sashas_maps on Instagram.

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[–] 61 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Correlation map with AfD votes next?

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  • [–] 45 points 2 years ago
    [–] 34 points 2 years ago
    [–] 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    Europe brings rats to invade de sewers, America counterattacks by sending trash pandas

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago

    I thought that this number seemed not so big, but that my perception might be skewed due to the chosen scale and an inability to imagine an process how big the depicted areas are, so I looked up the development of raccoon population in Germany (I read the german Wikipedia).

    So, first of all, one of the major relevant incidents was pure greed. A poultry breeder released a couple of raccoons into the wild so that they would populate the area and pelt prices could go down because expensive imports would become unnecessary. I hate humans, especially the rich ones.

    Second, according to a publication from 2011, at that time the population of raccoons in Germany size was estimated to be around half a million individuals and that each year, 300k animals would have to be killed if the population sized was to be reduced with a lasting effect. Although, that might not be enough, as research shows, after a 2007 distemper epidemic killed 80% of the female raccoon population in Müritz National Park, the year after more raccoons were counted than before the outbreak.

    Third, we need the wolf back. As shown by the example before, raccoon populations are extremely resilient and also in north american raccoon populations hunting shows to be not only not a major cause of death, it was insignificant. In Germany, the lack of natural predators like the wolf is benefitting the expansion of some invasive species like raccoons, american minks or raccoon dogs (who are not raccoons) and also has an influence of growing populations of native species into overpopulations. Hunting and roadkill incidents alone shows to be not effective enough (at least in areas that are not destroyed habitats due to human expansion).

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  • [+] 13 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)
  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (3 children)
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

    10 milliracoons (mR) per m²

    10µR/m² (micro raccoons) or 0.01 mR/m² (milliracoons)

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I'm puzzled by how a hectare can be determined to have 0.1 raccoons in it, like is it part of a 10 hectare region with a single 'coon or is the animal migratory and spends a tenth of its time in that particular hectare?

    Anyhow raccoons are great when they're screaming bloody murder at each other at night, and also when they amble up to you curiously during the day. Sorry they are competing with Germany's, what, native badger population? What is the raccoon niche equivalent over there

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    So I live in one of the barely-still-gray areas from 2020. I.e. we're obviously colonized by now. And the neighbors now refuse to clean up the garage because they might disturb the gworing family of raccoons living within. And we obviously can't force them to do anything.

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    [–] 9 points 2 years ago

    Müllpandablitz

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago

    TIL. I was confused because I thought raccoons were an American thing. It turns out the Nazis imported them for furs, and some escaped. Now Germany has a bunch of Raccoons.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago

    The fuckers reached Belgium by 2023… Those pests are everywhere and wrecking havoc both in suburbs and rural areas.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    The black spaces on the 2020 map kinda look like a rabbit. Geez, you'd think they'd invade in a pattern that resembles a raccoon. SMH

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (6 children)

    It’s always fascinating to learn of the little differences. Lack of peanut butter. And, apparently, a lack of trash pandas patrolling your trash bins, until now.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    I'm a bit confused. Every German supermarket has peanut butter. Most multiple kinds, like with or without crunch, certified organic, with cottonseed oil, etc.. Did you have a different experience?

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    It is available, but unlike in the US it is not something you would find in almost every household. And I would bet you it would be easier to find an individual who hasn't tried peanut butter even once than finding someone who has.

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  • [+] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
    [removed by mod]
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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (20 children)

    Yesssss. Invade us harder! Racoons for everyone! I love those cute Lil trashpandas 😍

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Procyon lotor are only native to North America and are listed as an invasive species in the EU.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon#Distribution_in_Germany

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Everybody loves raccoons, the animal embodiment of one’s indomitable, anarchic trash-goblin spirit!

    (5 seconds later) We regret to inform you that the presence of raccoons in Europe is a legacy of Hitler

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    That might not be as far from the truth as you might think. In 1945, a few individuals escaped a pelt farm (fuck humans) near Berlin due to an unknown cause and some hypothesize a bomb dropped during an air raid could have destroyed an enclosure.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Speaking as an American, you won't be saying that once they invade your attic. Trust me, you do not want this.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    They are cute, but they're just bloodthisty toddler-sized hobos. They prey on small dogs and cats or fight them for territory, they eat chickens, they destroy fucking everything, and they can carry and spread rabies. They will rip up plants, tear siding off your house, pull up paving stones, and even break windows. Just imagine a hostile drifter on your property trying to fuck it up as hard as possible out of spite for you, and that's about right.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Man when my first kid was little those fuckers would get into our trash all the time. You know how much fun it is cleaning ripped-up dirty diapers off your front yard?

    Anyway I whipped up some pepper spray and poured it all over the can. They never came back. Worked a lot better than shooting them with bb guns.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Fuckers do a better job than Russia.

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    [–] 2 points 2 years ago
    [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    I'm on team raccoon here I don't see the problem

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