Neozoa and hunting in Switzerland: When humans create the problem and sell the rifle as the solution

Raccoon, raccoon dog, Egyptian goose, nutria: Humans brought them to Europe, bred them as fur animals, kept them as ornamental birds or simply released them. Now that they are spreading, they are stigmatized as 'invasive species' and handed over to recreational hunters as welcome targets. The EU Union List from 2016 lists 49 species whose spread should be contained. But the record is devastating: In Germany, over 282,000 raccoons were culled in the 2024/25 hunting year, 1,100 percent more than 20 years ago. The population continues to grow nonetheless. A Springer study proves that hunting raccoons since 1954 has not even slowed their spread. Recreational hunting as an instrument against neozoa has failed. This dossier shows why this is the case, what concerns Switzerland, and what alternatives exist.

What are neozoa?

Definition and classification

As neozoa (Greek: 'new animals'), animal species are classified that have reached areas where they do not naturally occur after 1492 through direct or indirect human influence. In Germany, around 264 neozoa species have permanently established themselves. Most are ecologically inconspicuous. Only a small portion is considered 'invasive', meaning they spread aggressively and can displace or harm native species. The EU Commission created a Union list in 2016 that now encompasses 49 species, including raccoon, raccoon dog, Egyptian goose, nutria, muskrat, grey squirrel and ruddy duck.

Not neozoa: Natural returnees

The distinction is crucial: Species that return to their former range of their own accord are not neozoa. Wolf, lynx, brown bear, otter and golden jackal are natural returnees or natural range expanders and enjoy legal protection. The golden jackal, which has been documented in Switzerland since 2011, originally comes from India and the Middle East and migrated via the Balkans. It is a protected species in Switzerland. That hunting associations would also like to put it on the shooting list shows how arbitrarily the label 'foreign' is used.

The situation in Switzerland

Legal framework and huntable neozoa

The Swiss Hunting Act (JSG) regulates the handling of non-native species: They may not be released and should be removed from the wild. Raccoon and raccoon dog are huntable year-round in Switzerland as neozoa. The keeping and import of certain species such as grey squirrel and ruddy duck are prohibited. The canton of Aargau lists among invasive neozoa, among others, raccoon dog, muskrat, raccoon, Egyptian goose, Canada goose, ruddy shelduck and red-eared slider. In practice, the populations of most neozoa in Switzerland are still small: Raccoons are occasionally detected by camera traps, raccoon dogs are rare in northern Switzerland. The major exception is the Egyptian goose, which has bred annually at Swiss waters since 2003.

Who brought these animals here?

The answer is the same in every case: humans. Raccoons originate from North America and were bred as fur animals in Europe from the 1930s onwards. They escaped from fur farms or were deliberately released. Raccoon dogs were imported from East Asia and released in the Soviet Union for fur production, from where they spread westward. Egyptian geese were ornamental birds in parks that escaped from captivity. Nutrias were also imported for the fur industry. That the animals are now considered 'pests' and are to be 'regulated' with rifles is cynical: Humans caused the problem, and the animals pay the price.

More on this: Dossier: The raccoon in Switzerland

Why recreational hunting fails as neozoa management

The numbers speak for themselves

Germany is the best example of the failure of hunting 'regulation' of neozoa. In hunting year 2003/04, 21,149 raccoons were killed. In hunting year 2024/25, it was 282,000. That is an increase of over 1,100 percent. Yet the population continues to grow: An estimated 1.6 to 2 million raccoons now live in Germany. A Springer study documents that hunting since 1954 had 'no sustainably reductive effect' and 'probably did not even slow population growth'. Territories freed up by shooting are quickly recolonized.

Compensatory reproduction

Raccoons respond to hunting pressure with increased reproduction. In hunted populations, the proportion of breeding females is higher than in non-hunted populations. The more animals that are killed, the more offspring are born. Losses are not only compensated but overcompensated. Wildlife biologist Ulf Hohmann puts it succinctly: he knows not a single scientist or hunting expert who seriously believes raccoons can be regulated through hunting methods. This phenomenon is also scientifically documented for wild boar and foxes.

The failure is systemic

Recreational hunting fails with invasive species for the same reasons it fails with native species: it cannot reduce populations across entire areas, it creates a suction effect by killing non-territorial animals, and it primarily offers hobby hunters one thing: an alibi to shoot year-round. The German Hunting Association demands year-round hunting without closed seasons, without hunting bans in protected areas, and without restrictions on trap hunting. The NABU position paper counters this: non-hunting methods should take priority. Hunting here does not serve species conservation, but rather the legitimation of a hobby.

More on this: Why recreational hunting fails as population control

Alternatives: What actually works

Castration instead of culling

The city of Kassel launched a pilot project in 2025 at the initiative of the Federal Association of Wildlife Aid Organizations: raccoons are captured, castrated, and released. Castrated males continue to defend their territory, prevent immigration of new animals, and do not reproduce. Experiences from Brandenburg confirm: in non-hunted populations with stable social structures, the reproduction rate is lower than in intensively hunted populations. In northern Italy, this method was successfully applied to nutrias.

Prevention: combating root causes

The most effective measure against invasive species is prevention: banning fur farms, regulating the keeping of exotic animals, installing fences and technical protective devices. Switzerland has already banned the keeping and import of certain invasive species. What is missing is a consistent ban on all fur farms in Europe and stricter control of trade in exotic animals.

Habitat protection instead of species persecution

NABU and Wildtierschutz Deutschland emphasize: the most effective protection of native species from invasive species consists in strengthening their habitats. Fences around spawning and breeding waters, protective measures on nesting trees and nest boxes reduce predation losses more precisely than any rifle. Area-wide hunting in agricultural landscapes alone is not suitable for sustainably increasing the breeding success of ground-nesting birds.

The instrumentalization: invasive species as hunting alibi

Year-round hunting as objective

For recreational hunters, invasive species are a gift: they legitimize year-round hunting, trap hunting, night hunting, and the weakening of closed seasons and protected areas. The German Hunting Association explicitly demands making raccoon, raccoon dog, Egyptian goose, and nutria huntable in all federal states without restrictions. A CDU politician even demanded a 'bounty' per killed raccoon in 2025. That hunting associations simultaneously continue to hunt endangered native species like brown hare, Eurasian woodcock, and white-tailed ptarmigan exposes the species conservation argument as a facade.

Double standards in species conservation

The same recreational hunters who want to kill raccoons to protect native species annually kill thousands of foxes, badgers, martens, and corvids in Switzerland, all of which are native and ecologically indispensable. In Germany, partridges and hares continue to be hunted despite their populations having collapsed by over 90 percent. The neozoa management of recreational hunters is not species conservation, but a pretext to maximize killing.

What would need to change

Prevention instead of persecution: Ban fur farms EU-wide, regulate trade with exotic animals more strictly, criminalize releases. Address the problem at its root instead of fighting the symptoms.
Castration programs instead of mass shooting: The Kassel model and experiences from Northern Italy show that castration is more effective than shooting. Castrated territory holders stabilize the population and prevent immigration.
Habitat protection for threatened native species: Fences around spawning and breeding waters, protective devices on nesting boxes and eyrie trees, revitalization of wetlands. Strengthen habitats instead of hunting scapegoats.
Science-based management instead of hunting lobby politics: The decision whether and how a neozoan species is managed must be based on scientific data, not on the desire of recreational hunters for year-round hunting opportunities.
Consistently protect natural returnees: Golden jackal, otter, wolf and other natural range expanders must not be reclassified as neozoa to undermine their protection.

Arguments

«Neozoa must be hunted to protect native species.» The numbers prove the opposite: In Germany, hunting raccoons since 1954 has not stopped their spread. Over 282,000 kills in the 2024/25 hunting year, yet the population continues to grow. A Springer study confirms: hunting had «no sustainably reductive effect». Non-hunting methods like castration, habitat protection and technical prevention are demonstrably more effective.

«The raccoon threatens native biodiversity.» The raccoon can locally damage bird clutches and amphibians. But the main causes of species extinction are habitat loss, pesticides and intensive agriculture, not neozoa. The fixation on the raccoon as the main problem ignores structural causes and provides recreational hunters with a convenient scapegoat.

«Hunting is the most effective instrument against invasive species.» This is what the German Hunting Association claims, but its own bag statistics prove the opposite. NABU explicitly recommends non-hunting methods and criticizes that removal also occurs through traps that violate animal welfare. Castration programs, habitat protection and addressing root causes are more effective, sustainable and ethically justifiable.

«Switzerland must act now before it's too late.» In Switzerland, most neozoan populations are still very small. This is an argument for prevention, not for panic and shotgun deployment. Those who ban fur farms, regulate trade with exotic animals and strengthen habitats don't need year-round hunting of raccoons.

«Without hunting, neozoa spread uncontrolled.» Geneva has shown since 1974 that professional wildlife management works without recreational hunters. Management of invasive species can also be taken over by trained wildlife wardens, targeted, scientifically supervised and without the collateral damage of recreational hunting.

Quick links

Articles on Wild beim Wild

Related dossiers

Sources

Springer Nature: Hohmann, F. et al. (2023): The North American Raccoon in Germany – Background, Areas of Conflict & Management Measures
German Hunting Association: Hunting Bag Raccoon 2024/25 (282,000 Animals)
PETA Deutschland (2025): Raccoon Shootings at Record Level. Mass Killings as Regulatory Concept Failed
BVB / Freie Wähler Brandenburg (2022): Raccoon Castration Better Solution Than Just Shooting
NABU: Position Paper on Invasive Species, Non-Hunting Methods Preferred
Wildtierschutz Deutschland: Fact Check Invasive Species (Robel et al.)
EU Commission: Union List of Invasive Alien Species (Regulation 1143/2014, updated)
Canton St. Gallen, Office for Nature, Hunting and Fisheries: Neozoa Information
Canton Aargau: Invasive Animals (Neozoa), Species List
Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach: Neozoa Classification
Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (JSG, SR 922.0)
Kassel 2025: Pilot Project Raccoon Castration, Federal Association of Wildlife Rescue Organizations

Our Standards

Humans brought raccoons, raccoon dogs and Egyptian geese to Europe. The fur industry bred them, the hunting lobby now uses them as justification for year-round hunting. The animals themselves have done nothing wrong. They survive where humans brought them. The answer must not be the gun, but responsibility: eliminate causes, strengthen habitats, act based on science. Geneva shows that wildlife management works without hobby hunters, even with neozoa. This dossier is continuously updated.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: In our Hunting Dossier we compile fact checks, analyses and background reports.