2023-07-06 13:52:00
With black-rimmed eyes and a fluffy coat, he has been an increasingly invasive surprise guest in the south of Belgium since his arrival in our region during the 1980s. Although friendly in appearance, the raccoon – since it is regarding him – however causes significant nuisances inviting to adopt certain barrier gestures.
The population of raccoons is estimated at around 60 to 70,000 individuals, with concentrations in Gaume and near Saint-Hubert, says Etienne Branquart, member of the SPW unit specializing in invasive species. The latter recently published a leaflet specifying the reflexes to adopt to prevent these animals from becoming annoying companions.
“Beware seducer!”, warns the publication regarding this exotic mammal recognizable by its facial mask and the black rings of its tail, because it “begs for food by betting on its charm and its agility”. “Once accustomed to the presence of humans, the carnivore becomes more and more reckless and does not hesitate to enter through the cat flaps or any other access”. Searching the house and its surroundings, it can cause significant nuisance, injure pets and transmit diseases, reports the SPW.
To guard once morest this, the public service recommends, among other things, not to leave food lying around in the gardens and to lock up the hens at night, to prevent access to garbage cans, to block cat flaps and to limit the openings of Windows. But, above all, never touch or try to tame raccoons.
“We see more and more people calling us desperate because of the nuisance”while the animal, very greedy and clever, is able to slip into the henhouses, points out Mr. Branquart. “Some people voluntarily or unintentionally feed valued raccoons, either with bowls to observe them, or by feeding the cats and leaving food outside at night”he describes. “So the first thing to do is to make sure that there is no accessible food”he hammers.
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