Is the raccoon (Procyon lotor) out of control in Europe?

Abstract

The northern raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an invasive species in Europe and poses a serious threat to indigenous biodiversity and human health. Raccoons can also cause important economic losses. Despite the risks, no comprehensive report on the status of the raccoon in Europe is available. In this article, I estimate the raccoon invaded range and population trends, and evaluate the impacts on native ecosystems and wildlife to (1) determine the status of the raccoon and discuss the invasion process on a continental scale, (2) identify the threats, and (3) propose guidelines to design strategies for managing raccoon populations. Raccoons have been introduced in Europe since the late 1920s but the raccoon population growth and range expansion rates have been increasing since 1970s after a lag period. In addition, recent introductions through the pet trade have resulted in the establishment of new feral raccoon populations. Therefore, the raccoon spatial distribution is a result of multiple introductions and range expansion from the primary raccoon populations in central and eastern Europe over the last 40 years. The first individuals escaped from fur farms or were released for hunting. Nowadays, the pet trade is the major introduction pathway. Raccoons have adapted to different environments, even urban and residential areas. In central Europe, the raccoon population has increased by over 300% and grows at exponential rates since the 1990s. The raccoon is out of control in Europe because of increasing population trends, range expansion and no efficient management strategy. However, no impacts have still been reported through an evidence-based approach. There is a pressing need for a long-term strategy for managing raccoon populations in Europe.

Raccoons foster the spread of freshwater and terrestrial microorganisms—Mammals as a source of microbial eDNA

“…In this respect, our example for the raccoon is particularly interesting because of the fast and ongoing spread of this species in Europe. Combined with the history of the invasion of racoons (Jernelöv, 2017;Salgado, 2018), our preliminary results suggest that as a novel, abundant and quickly spreading element in local ecosystems, raccoons may act as a new vector contributing to the expansion of stowaway aquatic and terrestrial microorganisms. While the role of vectors operating at large spatial scales is usually attributed to birds (Figuerola & Green, 2002;Green & Figuerola, 2005), our results suggest that short-distance dispersal events by raccoons could, over the decades, push the range of the stowaway organisms they carry by hundreds of kilometres, thus altering the distribution of organisms not only at the local but also at the continental scale.…”

“…Recently, in Germany, the raccoon population has been estimated to be approximately 1,000,000, and it has been predicted that the total European population will double every 3-5 years (Jernelöv, 2017). Currently, the range of the raccoon population in Europe has extended hundreds of kilometres to the west, east and south of the invasion core (Salgado, 2018). A number of risks posed by raccoons for nature conservation and human health have been identified, including the transmission of the co-introduced parasitic nematode Baylisascaris procyonis (Bartoszewicz, Okarma, Zalewski, & Szczęsna, 2008;Beltrán-Beck, García, & Gortázar, 2012;García et al, 2012;Kornacka, Cybulska, Popiołek, Kuśmierek, & Moskwa, 2018;Popiołek et al, 2011).…”

Self‐service traps inspected by avian and terrestrial predators as a management option for rodents

“…Contradicting the findings of the previous study in Switzerland, raccoons were the predators most active at standby‐boxes, but there was also considerable cat and fox activity. Raccoons may be observed in this study but not during the study in Switzerland because the German raccoon populations have been expanding for 50 years longer . If self‐service traps support the success of an invasive species, there could be negative side‐effects for native biodiversity when using such traps.…”

“…Raccoons may be observed in this study but not during the study in Switzerland because the German raccoon populations have been expanding for 50 years longer. 32 If self-service traps support the success of an invasive species, there could be negative side-effects for native biodiversity when using such traps. Raccoons have a negative impact on native fauna if they compete against rare species for resources.…”

The colonization of raccoon (Procyon lotor L. 1758) in Georgia : The beginning of the invasion?

“…However, because of their high adaptability they are now found in most parts of Europe and in almost all kinds of environments including wooded areas, open and marshlands, near lakes, along streams and urbanized areas (Sanderson, 1987). Currently in most parts of Europe the raccoon populations are expanding and are causing concern among the local residents (Salgado, 2018). Raccoons are also found in distant parts of Asia like Japan where they have been present since the 1960s (Okabe, 2007).…”