Credit: Laurent Schley
Luxembourg's Nature and Forest Agency has unveiled a new brochure on raccoons (Procyon lotor) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides).
The raccoon and the raccoon dog belong to the so-called group "invasive alien species" as they were introduced to Europe from outside and were able to spread to several countries on the continent, including Luxembourg.
These two mammals, although they look alike, have neither the same origin nor the same history. Throughout the pages of the “Waschbären & Marderhunde” in Luxemburg brochure, several aspects of these two species are presented and explained. The brochure was produced by the Nature and Forest Agency and the National Museum of Natural History.
Although the raccoon is already quite well known in popular culture, several questions still arise such as: Where does it live? What does it feed on?
Moreover, as the presence of the raccoon in an urban environment can cause conflicts, particular attention has been given to this aspect, so that the potential impacts of the species are minimised.
As for the raccoon dog, this is a more discreet species that appeared in Luxembourg just last year. Several interesting facts about its arrival in the European continent and its biology are presented in the brochure.
A digital version of the German-language brochure can be obtained from the website of Luxembourg's Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development (emwelt.lu). The brochure is available in paper format by contacting the Nature and Forest Agency via email: nature@anf.etat.lu.
