A plague of beer-swigging raccoons trashing people’s homes and eating their pets is causing a catastrophe in Germany. Homeowners are being hit with repair bills of up to $12,000 after returning from their travels to find their kitchens damaged by the pesky creatures. As well as drinking beer, the animals have been known to kill pet fish and rabbits during their invasions. Germany’s National Hunting Association (DJV) says that it killed a record 200,000 raccoons last year in an attempt to control the population, up from less than 10,000 two decades ago. Scientists say the growth is almost exponential for an unbelievably adaptable animal and that attempts to control them through hunting has had the adverse effect of increasing its already enormous birth rate. Raccoons are very clever…..and they like beer. A group of the critters have been seen knocking beer bottles over at a lakeside resort to get at the liquid inside. An estimated 1,000 raccoons live in Berlin, where they’ve been discovered in high schools, gardens, and even on buses. Berlin’s senate has refused to sanction the killing of the raccoons, instead saying that the public should be careful to lock their trash cans and doors properly. The DJV advocates making raccoon meat part of the national diet and using the fur for high-quality, eco-friendly clothing. In the meantime, people are devising their own ways of trying to keep the creatures out of their homes.
