When: Annually, October 1.
It is not just the raccoon that is the focus of International Raccoon Appreciation Day. The day is about more than just raccoons and it takes place annually on October 11.
Not just about the raccoon
There is something special to report about this day. The day seems to be about just raccoons. It is not. The day is actually about all the animals we don’t always understand. When it comes to raccoons, humans don’t always understand these animals. The animals are considered unpopular and they are said to be nuisances. Especially in transitional areas between natural areas and urbanised areas.
There are more animal species of which that can be said. Hence, this day is there to draw attention to those species as well. Animals that we sometimes perhaps say too easily that they cause nuisance and that measures need to be taken. In the worst cases, measures are taken to chase the animals away and even kill them.
Pets
The other side of the story is that raccoons look cute and therefore some people mistake them for pets. If you do a search through any search engine, you will read that it would be possible to keep a raccoon as a pet. This overlooks the fact that a raccoon naturally lives in a forest environment. So unless you live in the forest, with plenty of water, the animal is dependent on your habitat. So by doing so, you restrict the animal. In The Netherlands, legislation is changed in 2024. It’s no longer allowed to keep raccoons as pets. The Netherlands isn’t the only country that prohibit this.
The raccoon in other places
By nature, the raccoon is not found everywhere. That doesn’t mean they don’t roam there. Animals aren’t restricted to human set borders. A good example is the population of the wolves in the western part of Europe. These animals moved from Eastern Europe to Germany and then to The Netherlands. Wolves hadn’t been spotted in both Germany and The Netherlands for centuries. Humans and mostly humanly behaviour made wolves extinct in Western Europe.
The original habitat of raccoons consisted of parts of the Americas and northern Europe. That raccoons can now be found in our country implies that it is an invasive species. Since 2016, the raccoon has been on the list of invasive alien species. This does not only include animal species. Plants, trees and insects can also be found on it. The European Union has ruled that it is not allowed to import, transport, sell or breed these species.
Well-known examples include the Nile goose, American broom grass, giant hogweed, American crayfish (several subspecies) and some species of knotweed. There is something to be said about the latter species. You would expect that Japanese knotweed, which causes enormous nuisance, would also be on it. It just isn’t. That has to do with its introduction into the Netherlands much earlier. You can read about that in this article from Artigenda.
So because that Japanese knotweed was introduced earlier, it’s OK. For species like the raccoon, it’s basically: tough luck, you should have come to the Netherlands earlier!
Now it is not true that raccoons are not harmless at all. After all, they are animals that love to eat and have a lot to show for it. The nuisance can be great. Reproduction also sometimes goes very well when conditions are favourable. This only applies to an insect species that is missing from the EU list. That is the Asian ladybirds. Indeed, at one time it seemed such a good idea within agriculture to bring them in from Asia to control aphids. This Harmonia axyridis is known to be a more aggressive variant of the European ladybirds. If there is not enough food, it eats caterpillars and butterfly eggs. If there are none left, other ladybirds will be eaten.
Alternatives
A day like today is a good time to think about this. About all such challenges. Why one animal and not another? Moreover, how far do we go in ‘holding back’ and are there perhaps no alternatives?
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