They might look cute, but a female can produce seven or eight kits in each litter and with no natural predators in Germany, there is nothing to keep their numbers down. It is now illegal to keep, sell or import raccoons in the EU and member states are responsible for controlling them with a variety of methods that include culling and licensed hunting. Most Read on Euro Weekly News As Germany’s raccoon population multiplies, conservationists warn – as they have warned for decades – that the cuddly “masked bandits” that on average weigh 10 kilos but can tip the scales at 20 kilos, endanger the biosystem.
They are skilled hunters with night vision that prey on the birds, reptiles, fish, crayfish and insects which, together with fruit, vegetables and nuts, form their diet. Meatballs made from culled raccoons Raccoons may now be hunted in almost every German state, with 200,000 killed last year but this also poses the problem of disposing of the bodies. Michael Reiss, a butcher from Kade, 90 kilometres from Berlin, believes he has the answer.
Talking recently to the CNN news channel, Reiss explained that he came up with the idea of turning them into food instead of “throwing them in the bin.” He first introduced meatballs at the Green Week international food fair in 2022, where they were such a success that Reiss was soon selling online. He now offers seven raccoon meat products, including salami.
“We’re the only place in Europe selling raccoon meat,” Reiss tol.