In the morning A reader sent us the following photo with this comment:
7:30 a.m. on Śluzowa Street, there was a guest like this in a tree – Mr. Raccoon. He was walking along the pavement from uphill, from Carrefour, but he got scared of a dog. Where did he come from? Where had he come from?
Raccoons arrived on the Old Continent in the 1930s. They were supposed to be... fur animals. They multiplied very quickly. Some people tried to turn them into successors to dogs and cats. However, that plan quickly went awry. As the website natemat.pl reports:
Because of their beautiful appearance and high intelligence, people began keeping raccoons in their homes. They bought the animals thinking they would cuddle and perform tricks. Reality was different. Raccoons proved destructive and unwilling to follow the rules of the household. For these reasons, they ended up on the streets.
Although it must be noted that some people succeeded, and with excellent results. Unfortunately, some perfidious thief decided to take advantage of this. (More in the article: A thief stole... two raccoons. A reward is offered).
We have regularly reported in our pages that this beautiful, though dangerous, mammal can be encountered in Bolesławiec County. Here are some examples:
And it is hardly surprising; everything indicates that this will become an increasingly common sight. Natemat.pl:
Scientists estimate that the raccoon is colonizing Poland at a rate of 80–100 km every 5 years.
Are raccoons dangerous to people?
In the United States, this animal is considered a pest. Can it attack a person? Only if it feels threatened or wants to protect its offspring. As a rule, however, it avoids confrontation with people.