When a German city overrun with 30,000 raccoons — descendants of animals released during the Third Reich — chose strawberry jam over bullets as a means of population control, the move was hailed as humane and just.
However, the plan in Kassel, often described as “Europe’s raccoon capital”, to lure the furry predators with sweet sandwiches, trap them in boxes, sterilise them and release them, has been derailed by complaints from local hunters.
The pilot project, which started in August and was meant to run for three years, was intended to lead to a population reduction of 20 per cent over time as the released raccoons would keep newcomers off their turf in the city, but would not be able to procreate.
It was devised as an alternative to shooting them, which is difficult in urban areas because of the risk of collateral damage.
At first, nine raccoons, which seem to adore the smell of strawberry jam, were quickly caught in purpose-built boxes, put under the knife and released with yellow buttons attached to their ears to identify them.
