[Animals] The American raccoon po[CENSORED]tes the north, east and south of the Peninsula

[UltimaTexCS]

In the center it has already colonized almost 100 km.
It is dangerous due to its ability to eradicate native fauna.
It is also harmful to humans because it can transmit some serious and very difficult to treat diseases.
It is one of the 136 species that the Government has on its blacklist.

One specimen of American raccoon One specimen of American raccoon GTRES
At first glance, the raccoon (Procyon lotor) may seem like an endearing animal. Its friendly appearance makes it impossible to imagine the reality behind it, especially after one year of life. "At that age they become aggressive because they reach sexual maturity and are in full reproductive period," they say from the Specialist Group on Biological Invasions (GEIB).

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This behavior is usually the trigger for the abandonment of this mammal native to North America. "Although sold as a pet, the raccoon is not a domestic animal. They are very active, curious, they break everything they catch and often bite if you try to catch them, pet them, etc ... Hence they are usually abandoned when they arrive at the adulthood ", they explain 20 minutes from the GEIB.

"The perfect invasive species"
The problem is that the raccoon, whose first appearances in our country date back to 2001, is expanding its territory.

The last place where its presence has begun to be very worrying is in the Doñana National Park, where the Junta de Andalucía launched a pilot trapping program with which it achieved 11 captures in just one month. "Technically it is the perfect invasive species", say technicians attached to the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, who argue that the raccoon reproduces easily, adapts without problems to new ecosystems and eats anything.

"It is an animal very adaptable to the environment, with a very wide feeding spectrum. Especially birds, amphibians and reptiles (eggs), with the consequent decrease in reproductive success and the size of native po[CENSORED]tions", they comment in the GEIB . "It is a predator that can hunt on the ground, in the water and in the trees. Its presence is a threat to endemic fauna," they add.

In Madrid there would be about 500

Until now, the raccoon had been concentrated in the center of the Peninsula, where it has already colonized "almost 100 kilometers of shoreline." It is estimated that in Madrid there would be around 500. However, its area of influence has been expanding in the last decade until reaching the north, south and east of the peninsula, being observed in up to 28 different locations, including large urban areas. such as Barcelona and Valencia, where it is located in the surroundings, according to a 2011 article in the journal Biological Invasions. There is also evidence of its presence in the Balearic and Canary Islands.

But it is not only dangerous because of its ability to eradicate native fauna. It is also harmful to humans because it can transmit diseases: "They can carry the roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis, which is an intestinal nematode that can cause serious neurological and ocular signs when the larvae migrate both in humans and in other mammals and birds. people are serious and very difficult to treat. "

Due to these reasons, the raccoon is one of 136 species that the Government has on its blacklist. Last year the Executive approved Royal Decree 1628/2011, of November 14, which regulates the list and catalog of invasive exotic animals and plants, which are those that are found outside their habitat by the action of man. This regulation establishes the necessary measures to prevent the introduction into Spain of these harmful species for biological diversity.