Dutch raccoons breed in the wild for first time
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A family of raccoons has been spotted in the Netherlands for the first time since the species arrived in the country in the 1970s.
The mother and four young were sighted in Merkelbeek in Limburg, according to the Dutch Mammals’ Association (Zoogdierenvereniging). ‘At last we have the first evidence that the species is reproducing here,’ said spokesman Vilmar Dijkstra.
Most raccoon sightings in the Netherlands have been in the east of the country, near the border with Germany, which has an estimated racoon population of a million.
The association has urged anyone who finds a dead raccoon to report it to the authorities, as raccoons can carry a species of roundworm that also infects humans.
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