Crazed raccoons are ransacking German homes and city parks in search of beer. Raccoons are not an invasive species in Germany. Apparently a century ago, a "forestry official" introduced a few US-born raccoons into the wild and then, during World War II, a bomb attack near a fur farm led the escape of another two dozen of the animals. Now, the bandits are out in force and clamoring for a drink.
From Food and Wine:
According to The Telegraph, vacationers and locals alike are getting home and discovering that raccoons have raided their kitchens, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage in the process, including killing household pets and stealing any beer they can find. On less frustrating occasions, the raccoons have been seen at city parks, knocking over discarded beer bottles so they could drink whatever booze was left inside. "Raccoons are funny and clever … and they like beer," Berthold Langenhorst of the German Nature Conservation Association (NABU), said[…]These 2023 beer-swilling raccoons aren't the first time that the little critters have been spotted having a drink. In 2019, a visibly drunk raccoon was seen stumbling around the Christmas markets in the city of Erfurt. The animal overserved himself by drinking whatever mulled wine that was left in mostly empty cups, briefly entertained himself with a woman's shoes, and then passed out on a doorstep.
(Thanks, Chanté McCormick!)
