Clan of raccoons is terrorising native animals in rural Austria

Hunters have tried to capture the creatures several times, however, it never seems to work because they are very smart

A mischievous group of raccoons has been running wild near the Austrian small town of Wies for weeks now. Hunters have tried and so far failed to catch them with traps, as the raccoons are a threat to native species, especially small game like pheasants and ducks.

According to a report from the ORF, the animals were spotted on a hunter’s camera, following a particularly weak hunting season. A clan of four raccoons is roaming the Austrian countryside, looking for food.

The American invasion

Raccoons are native to America and considering the relative absence of large predators in Europe, they have a particularly good time when hunting. Furthermore, raccoons are also quite smart. Multiple studies have placed them on the higher end of the mammal intelligence scale.

According to researchers from Vanderbilt University, they have 483 million neurons in a relatively small brain. By neuron count alone, they should rank somewhere near small primates. Researchers also believe that raccoons are smarter than dogs.  

For example, during a test, scientists placed stones in a tube with water, to raise the water level and bring a treat up to the top. Raccoons were able to replicate the motion by observing the scientists and even reach for a better solution – toppling the tube and emptying out its contents. This is a solution that many other animals would not try.

Catch me if you can

The charming and brainy predators came to Europe centuries ago, as part of the fur trade, and this is still the primary reason why people still keep raccoons in farm-like conditions. However, according to the Huntmaster (Landesjägermeister) Franz Mayr-Melnhof Saurau, many people also keep them as pets or in private small zoos. In these situations, it is very hard to keep track of escaped animals, because a lot of the cases stay unreported.

He also explained that despite their obvious charm, raccoons can hunt certain low-branch nesting bird species to near extinction. Furthermore, a notable lack of large predators in Europe leaves them without any checks and hunters need to step in.  

According to the ORF, they managed to capture one several times, however, the crafty mammal managed to open the door to its cage and escape. A local hunter explained that raccoons come in the trap, eat their fill of apples, have a rest, and then they lift the trap door with their heads and go back out again.