Raccoon Switzerland: Culled for the wrong origin

The raccoon is a newcomer to Switzerland. Since the first sighting in 1976 in the canton of Schaffhausen, it has been slowly spreading from the north. It is still rare: according to the Federal Hunting Statistics, 84 raccoons were shot across Switzerland in 2025, compared with 44 in 2023 (Swiss Hunting Statistics 2025). Yet as a “neozoon” it may be hunted year-round with no closed season. The scientific basis for this outlaw status is thin. The most comprehensive field study in Europe concludes that the raccoon is not a species killer. Switzerland pursues it regardless.

Profile

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) belongs to the family of procyonids (Procyonidae) and is native to North and Central America. It is a medium-sized mammal with a body length of 41 to 71 centimetres (excluding the tail) and a weight of 3.6 to 9 kilograms, with weight varying considerably according to season and food supply. Its most distinctive feature is the black facial mask, which gives it an unmistakable appearance. The bushy tail is ringed in black and white. The front paws are exceptionally dexterous and resemble small hands, which the raccoon uses to feel for, open and “wash” its food.

Biology and Way of Life

The raccoon is predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal. It is an excellent climber and swimmer and prefers deciduous and mixed forests rich in water. It chooses its resting places in hollow trees, fox or badger setts, rock crevices or, near human settlements, in attics and tool sheds (Umweltberatung Luzern, Waldwissen.net). In Switzerland it spreads mainly along river courses, with a focus on north-western Switzerland: in 2025, 54 of the 84 raccoons shot were killed in Aargau and 23 in the canton of Basel-Landschaft (Federal Hunting Statistics). Sightings have by now also been reported in central Switzerland, at Lake Walen and at Lake Geneva.

The raccoon lives in social structures that are more complex than was long assumed. Females (sows) form matrilineal groups, so-called mother families, with fixed territorial boundaries relative to other groups. Males move between the territories of the females and deliberately avoid mating with their own daughters (Michler, Raccoon Project, Müritz National Park, 2018). This social structure reflects a highly developed pattern of behaviour that contradicts the simplistic label of 'invasive pest'.

Reproduction

The mating season falls in February and March. After a gestation period of around 63 days, the female gives birth in April or May to an average of 2 to 5 young. In the wild, life expectancy is only 1.8 to 3.1 years (Wikipedia, Raccoon). Recreational hunting and road accidents are the two most common causes of death. Raccoon populations have a pronounced compensation mechanism: when animals are lost through disease or hunting, younger females take a greater part in reproduction and quickly make up for the losses (Michler, 2018).

Food

The raccoon is a pronounced food opportunist. The most comprehensive European study, the research project in Müritz National Park (Dr Berit Michler and Dr Frank-Uwe Michler, TU Dresden, 2006–2017), shows that over the course of the year more than 50 per cent of its diet consists of molluscs such as earthworms and snails. Plant food (fruit, berries, nuts) accounts for around 32 per cent. Vertebrates make up only a small share (IG Wild beim Wild, Nordkurier, 2019). The raccoon is not a specialised hunter but a forager that takes whatever is available.

How the raccoon came to Europe: a human-made story

Fur farms and releases

The raccoon is not an intruder that found its own way to Europe. It was brought here by humans. In the 1920s and 1930s, fur farm operators imported raccoons from North America to Germany. In 1934, two pairs were deliberately released into the wild at the Edersee in Hesse in order to 'enrich the native fauna' (Wikipedia, Raccoon). In the post-war period, further animals escaped from destroyed fur farms. The entire European population developed from these sources.

Arrival in Switzerland

In 1976, a raccoon was observed in Switzerland for the first time, in the canton of Schaffhausen. Since 2003 it has also colonised the shoreline of Lake Geneva. The animals have arrived naturally from German populations across the northern border. In the 1980s, further records followed in the cantons of Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft, Thurgau and Schaffhausen (Waldwissen.net, 2025). The population remains very small: there is no exact count, but the kill figures (2020: 2, 2021: 13, 2022: 17, 2023: 44, 2024: 69, 2025: 84) point to steady growth (Federal Hunting Statistics). Kill figures are not a population count, however: they also depend on how intensively hunting is carried out.

The raccoon is in Switzerland because humans brought it to Europe. It did not 'steal' its habitat; it was transported here and is now making the best of it.

Hunting: fair game all year round

Legal situation

In Switzerland, the raccoon is classed as an 'alien species' (neozoon) and, under the Federal Act on Hunting (JSG, Art. 5 para. 3 let. a), may be hunted all year round without a closed season, as may the raccoon dog and the feral domestic cat. There are no kill quotas, no quota system and no obligation to make use of the carcass. Anyone with a valid hunting licence may shoot it at any time of year, even during the rearing of young. The canton of Solothurn describes it as a 'rather unpopular guest' and a 'potential carrier of disease' (Canton of Solothurn). The authorities' declared aim is 'not to allow the raccoon to become established in Switzerland in the first place' (Head of Hunting and Fisheries, Canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes, SRF, 2021).

The scale of the killing

The kill figures are still low but rising sharply: in 2020, 2 raccoons were killed; in 2022 it was 17, in 2023 already 44, in 2024 it was 69 and in 2025 84, of which 54 in Aargau, 23 in Basel-Landschaft and 6 in Solothurn (Swiss Hunting Statistics 2025). The canton of Aargau provides recreational hunters with specially developed box traps for this purpose; in the canton of Zurich, according to the hunting authority, the number of raccoons shot has stood at between one and five per year for several years (Raccoon in Zurich). In the canton of Basel-Landschaft, over 30 raccoons were recorded in 2023, and the authorities expect the numbers to keep rising (20 Minuten, 2024). Recreational hunters in several cantons are instructed to shoot raccoons on sight. Live traps are used, but must be checked at least once a day.

The failure of the eradication strategy

The example of Germany shows why the strategy of 'preventing settlement' is doomed to fail. According to the hunting bag statistics, over 280,000 raccoons were killed in Germany in the 2024/25 hunting year (282,499 dead raccoons and the population keeps growing). The population is estimated at over one million animals and continues to grow (Wikipedia, Waldwissen.net). The zoologist Frank-Uwe Michler has calculated that at least 300,000 animals would have to be killed each year to achieve an actual reduction in the population. Recreational hunting has not halted the spread of the raccoon in Germany. There is no reason to assume that the situation in Switzerland will turn out any differently.

The raccoon researcher Hohmann makes clear that the absence of natural enemies in Europe alone does not justify intensive hunting, since natural predation plays no significant role as a cause of death even in the raccoon's North American native range (Wikipedia, Raccoon). In Switzerland, the eagle owl is the raccoon's largest natural enemy (Umweltberatung Luzern).

More on this: Why recreational hunting fails as population control

The 'species killer' narrative: what the science really says

The Müritz study

The most extensive and longest field study of raccoons in Europe was carried out from 2006 to 2017 in the Müritz National Park (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). Over the years, the team led by Dr Berit Michler and Dr Frank-Uwe Michler of TU Dresden caught 145 animals, fitted 69 of them with radio collars and collected hundreds of scat samples for dietary analysis. The central question was: is the raccoon a danger to native and protected animal species?

The conclusion of the research is: no. The calculations showed that vertebrates were preyed upon only in very small quantities and that the species affected were highly abundant in the study area. Most of the protected species in the area were not part of the raccoons' prey spectrum. Berit Michler's dissertation (TU Dresden, 2017) states that, given the documented population structure and the lack of dietary specialisation, no negative ecological impact is to be expected in future either. The results point to a “highly opportunistic use of the food resources available in the area”.

NABU Gifhorn summarises the state of research as follows: “Although the negative influence of the raccoon as a nest robber and predator of small game is repeatedly reported, there is no scientifically reproducible evidence from its non-native range, even with continuing population growth” (NABU Gifhorn, after Michler 2017).

Acknowledging local risks, rejecting blanket judgements

The Müritz study does not rule out that the raccoon may have a negative impact on individual species at local level and in areas more heavily disturbed by humans, in particular on ground-nesting birds and amphibians. Studies from Saxony-Anhalt have documented breeding losses in red kite, common swift, wryneck and pied flycatcher (Wikipedia, Waschbär). These local findings must be taken seriously, but they do not justify a blanket eradication strategy. Species protection is most effective where it addresses the actual threats: habitat loss, fragmentation, pesticide use and disturbance. Making the raccoon a scapegoat for problems caused by humans is convenient, but it does not achieve the goal.

The compensation mechanism

The Müritz study documented a mechanism that makes the futility of hunting particularly clear: when raccoons are lost to disease or kills, yearling females, which normally do not yet reproduce, take a greater part in breeding the following year and quickly make up the losses (Michler, 2018). Distemper, which caused a population collapse in the study area, also remained confined to a single territory, because the fixed territorial boundaries of the mother families prevented its spread. This social system is more resilient to interference than the recreational hunters would like to admit.

The raccoon and the 'neozoa' debate

What 'non-native' really means

In Switzerland, the raccoon is classified as an 'invasive neozoon'. But what does 'non-native' mean in a world in which humans have been moving species around the globe for centuries? The raccoon did not come to Europe of its own accord. It was imported by humans, released, and is now left to fend for itself. Punishing it for surviving and adapting to its new conditions is ethically questionable.

IG Wild beim Wild criticises the year-round outlaw status of the raccoon as a 'pseudo-biological, unecological condemnation of alien species' (IG Wild beim Wild, Neozoa). How Switzerland deals with non-native species as a whole is shown in the dossier Neozoa and hunting in Switzerland. The animal ethicist Prof. Markus Wild (University of Basel) supported a petition for the protection of the raccoon in Switzerland in 2021.

The German comparison

More than a million raccoons live in Germany, and well over 200,000 are killed every year. The population keeps growing regardless. Individual cities such as Berlin are already debating whether the raccoon should be accepted as part of the urban fauna and managed with castration programmes and prevention rather than kills (TierWelt, 2021). Switzerland has the chance to learn from Germany's mistakes rather than repeat them.

More on this: Facts instead of hunters' tall tales about raccoons

What needs to change

Introduction of a closed season during the rearing of young: The fact that the raccoon, like the raccoon dog and the feral domestic cat, may be hunted in Switzerland all year round without any closed season, even during birth and the rearing of the young, contradicts the principles of the Animal Welfare Act (TSchG). Non-native species, too, are entitled to minimum animal welfare standards. The killing of lactating mothers must be prohibited.
Science-based management instead of blanket persecution: The current strategy of 'preventing settlement' has failed. The raccoon has arrived in Switzerland and is here to stay. The authorities must abandon the eradication strategy and develop science-based coexistence management that addresses local conflicts without blanket persecution of the species.
Prevention instead of killing in built-up areas: Raccoons in built-up areas are a management problem, not a hunting problem. Marten-proof waste containers, secured roof access points and a strict ban on feeding are the only effective measures. Experience from Kassel and other German cities shows that preventive conflict management effectively minimises problems (Michler and Michler, 2012).
Protecting native fauna through habitat improvement: Where the raccoon genuinely threatens protected species, such as ground-nesting birds or amphibians, protection measures must tackle the problem at its source: improving breeding habitats, creating spawning ponds with protection against predation, and enhancing structural diversity. Shooting the raccoon while at the same time destroying the habitats of the affected species is not a species protection strategy.
Research and monitoring: There are no reliable population figures for the raccoon in Switzerland. The distribution map of info fauna is based on reports and chance observations. Systematic monitoring is a prerequisite for any evidence-based decision.
No criminalisation of the animal: The raccoon is not to blame for its presence in Europe. The responsibility lies with humans, who brought it here. The blanket label of 'invasive pest' and the year-round open season convey an image that has more to do with xenophobia towards species than with science.

Talking points

'The raccoon is an invasive neozoon and must be eliminated before it spreads any further.' The German example shows that the eradication strategy has failed. Despite more than 200,000 kills a year, the population continues to grow. The raccoon has a biological compensation mechanism that offsets losses through increased reproduction. Switzerland will not get rid of the raccoon. The question is not whether, but how it will live alongside it.

“The raccoon is a species killer that threatens native animal species.” The most comprehensive European field study (Michler and Michler, Müritz National Park, 2006–2017) concludes that the raccoon is not a species killer. More than 50 per cent of its diet consists of molluscs and around 32 per cent of plants. Most of the protected species in the study area were not part of its prey spectrum. Local conflicts with ground-nesting birds are real, but they can be solved more effectively through habitat protection than through kills.

“The raccoon has no natural enemies in Europe and must therefore be hunted.” Raccoon researcher Hohmann has shown that natural predation is not a significant cause of death for raccoons even in their North American native range. In Switzerland, the eagle owl is a natural enemy. The return of the wolf could also have an influence in the long term. The absence of predators does not justify blanket persecution of a species whose population dynamics regulate themselves through territoriality and food availability.

“There is no closed season because every kill counts.” Year-round open season without a closed season means that lactating mothers may be shot while their young are still dependent on them. This violates the spirit of the Animal Welfare Act, which requires the protection of young, lactating or feeding parent animals. Non-native animals also feel pain and fear. Their origin changes nothing about that.

“The raccoon transmits the dangerous raccoon roundworm.” The raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) is a real health risk that must be taken seriously. In the Müritz National Park, however, no roundworm infestation could be detected (Michler, 2017). In Switzerland there are so far no confirmed cases. The risk is effectively managed through hygiene measures (no contact with raccoon faeces, deworming of dogs). It does not justify mass killing.

Quick links

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Related dossiers

sources

Federal Hunting Statistics, BAFU/Wildtier Schweiz: http://www.jagdstatistik.ch (Kills, special kills and fallen game of raccoons 1993–2025 by canton, queried on 21.10.2026)
Waldwissen.net/WSL: The raccoon, a rascal with destructive potential (Lässig, 2003, updated 2025)
Michler, B. A. (2017/2020): Coproscopic studies on the diet spectrum of the raccoon in the Müritz National Park. Dissertation, TU Dresden
Michler, F.-U. (2016/2018): Mammalogical field research on the population biology of the raccoon in the Müritz National Park. Dissertation, TU Dresden
Michler, F.-U. and Michler, B. (2012): Ecological, economic and epidemiological significance of the raccoon in Germany. Beiträge zur Jagd- und Wildforschung 37: 387–395
SRF News (2021): Fatal visit: raccoon strays into the Appenzell region and is shot dead
20 Minuten (2024): No enemies, plenty of food: Switzerland faces a raccoon invasion
TierWelt (2021): Protect or hunt raccoons?
Umweltberatung Luzern: Raccoon (umweltberatung-luzern.ch)
Canton of Solothurn: Raccoon (so.ch)
NABU Gifhorn: The raccoon, not a species killer (nabu-gifhorn.jimdoweb.com)
Info fauna, National Data and Information Centre for Swiss Fauna: Raccoon distribution map
IG Wild beim Wild (2019–2026): Facts instead of hunters' tall tales about raccoons; Neozoa; Petition to protect the raccoon; 282,499 dead raccoons; Raccoon in Zurich; Swiss hunting statistics 2025 (wildbeimwild.com)
Wikipedia: Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (JSG, SR 922.0)
Animal Welfare Act (TSchG, SR 455)

Our Standard

The raccoon is an animal that pays for human mistakes. It was brought to Europe to be bred and killed for its fur. When it escaped and adapted to the new conditions, it was declared an «invasive neozoon» and once again released for killing. Year-round hunting without a closed season, which does not even spare lactating mothers, violates every basic principle of animal welfare. Europe's most extensive field study concludes that the raccoon is not a species killer. The example of Germany proves that the eradication strategy has failed. Switzerland has the chance to take a different path: coexistence instead of persecution, prevention instead of blanket killing, science instead of hunters' tall tales. The raccoon is here, and it will stay. It is up to us whether we accept it as a housemate or continue to persecute it senselessly. This dossier is updated continuously whenever new figures, studies or political developments require it.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: In our dossier overview we bring together fact checks, analyses and background reports.