Two animal welfare workers brought us Paul and Emilia (now deceased), when they were only a few weeks old. Their mother was shot in cold blood. We were horrified to look them up on the internet and learn how amateur hunters make fun of dying and shot raccoons. The hysteria of the population when they approach a housing estate raccoons are used by some media for lurid reports. This is similar to the situation with wild pigs. Raccoons also have the disadvantage that they are not originally from our latitudes. They are true Americans. By law, animals only have to survive three generations in their new home in the wild, and then they are considered native to us. Not among the die-hards. They want to eradicate raccoons and act as species protection police. Yet, they have entered our natural world without any fault of their own. Refugees from fur farms and abandoned animals. From people who first wanted a raccoon as a pet and then, because they were overwhelmed, recklessly abandoned them. They are wild animals. Paul and Emilia have also made this clear to us. As babies, they were particularly trusting and were even allowed to sleep in the bed of keeper Martina. After their sexual maturity, their kisses first became small bites and then really dangerous. They never mean any harm. Many supporters, like Heidi and Bruno, helped us to create a species-appropriate raccoon enclosure. In summer, of course, with plenty of water, because raccoons like to wash their food before they eat it.
