Saturday, November 29, 2008
Raccoons invade Germany
The Germans brought the first raccoons to Europe in the 1930s. They called them Waschbaeren, or "wash bears," because they wash so frequently (by European standards). During an allied bombing raid, a German raccoon farm was damaged and the raccoons escaped, or rather, were liberated. Over the next 80 years they have been multiplying and maundering over the continental countryside. Recently, they've been moving into German towns, and the Germans have found themselves unable to defend against the 20 lbs. furry menaces. A German family reported trying to expel raccoons from their chimney by smoking them out, then playing loud music, and finally in step far surpassing their previous efforts in imagination and sophistication, the German family electrified their gutters. The raccoons were undeterred.
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6 comments:
raccoons have been a recent hot topic in my circle!! one of the students in my lab claimed to have a "raccoon friend" that lived on a nearby farm and was totally domesticated. you could feed it-- this was key for me-- and when you did, it took the foodstuffs from your hand with its hand, and then put them into its mouth. this led to a long discussion in which we considered if raccoons were a pie chart, what percentages would they be cat, weasel, and bear. no science was used.
Does this Raccoon live in or around SF?
it does. in fact just tonight, i watched one skulk around genentech hall, lingering around the dumpster area. i tried to run up and give him a big hug but he skuttled away.
Amazing! Cornchipsandpie and I are planning a trip to SF to meet the eating out of your hand with his hand raccoon post haste.
oh wait, the raccoon that eats out of your hand lives in kansas. the raccoon, the species, lives in SF. sorry about the confusion.
Somehow that the raccoon lives in Kansas adds to his/her mystique. Crazy raccoon in SF would be too obvious, and raccoons are all about surprises.
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