Wildlife Creatures - There is an increasing number of raccoon dogs roaming around Hamburg.
Raccoon dogs are like a hybrid of a fox and a raccoon, and they're not originally from Europe. Yet, they've been becoming more common in Hamburg, as seen in the hunting numbers. The hunting authority revealed that 298 raccoon dogs were killed in the 2022/23 hunting season. This is an increase from the first recorded hunting of these creatures in the 2007/2008 season, where only 4 raccoon dogs were shot. Ten years later, that number climbed to 112 raccoon dogs and further to 275 in the 2021/2021 season. The hunting season spans from April to March. Raccoon dogs are mostly found in the areas of Harburg and Bergedorf, according to the authority.
The authority representative couldn't provide an exact date of when the raccoon dog first appeared in Hamburg. They stated, "We don't know when the raccoon dog was first confirmed in Hamburg." The experts admit that raccoon dogs, as predators, probably won't have a significant impact on ground bird breeding. Their diet consists mainly of insects, amphibians, rodents, berries, and fruits. However, eggs, young birds, and domestic fowl are also consumed. But, 80% of their diet comes from plants.
Raccoon dogs are often considered a threat to native foxes and badgers; however, foxes favor drier, mouse-rich areas. Meanwhile, badgers have a more similar diet and also share the same dens. According to the authority, there are no signs of raccoon dogs displacing native game species like red foxes or badgers.
The hunting of the raccoon dog is necessary to maintain the population at a manageable level - "even as this species tends to follow humans into urban areas".
The raccoon dog, or enok, was first hunted in Germany in 1962, per the nature conservation organization Nabe. Despite sharing some similarities with raccoons, raccoon dogs can be distinguished by their split facial mask at the nose. The shy creature is seldom seen, with them mostly staying in their dens at night, as mentioned by Nabe.
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Source: www.stern.de
