Raccoons hunting in Lower Saxony: population grows dangerous!

Raccoons hunting in Lower Saxony: population grows dangerous!

From July 16, 2025, the closed -term for raccoons in Lower Saxony is over and that means that the sophisticated survival artists can be hunted again. The raccoon population grows and spreads rapidly, which leads to serious problems in many regions, especially in the Northeim district. As ndr alone were reported in the hunting year 2023/2024 in the said district 2.354 Raccoons killed. This clearly shows that the hunters are challenged to counteract the overhanding of these animals.

residents complain of the destruction of their gardens and living spaces: ponds are dug up, attic floors are disguised and garbage cans ransacked as desired. In fact, the voracious thing about raccoons is not only their insatiable hunger, but also the threat that they represent for protected species; They eat young birds. The numbers are terrifying: 20 years ago, raccoons were distributed in just 1,174 hunting grounds, which is about 15 %. In 2023, on the other hand, their occurrence was already registered in 4,416 hunting grounds (approx. 61 %).

growth of raccoon population

A similar picture is shown in the entire state: Over 25,000 raccoons were shot by hunters in 2023, which corresponds to an increase of 9.4 % compared to the previous year, such as Pirsch added. The raccoons in southern Lower Saxony, especially in the districts of Northeim, Göttingen, Harz and Lüchow-Dannenberg, are particularly widespread. For comparison: 44,961 Nutrias were killed in the same period, which means an increase of over 29 %. Even the hunting route of the marten dog sank slightly. The tendency clearly shows that invasive species in Lower Saxony not only increase, but also have serious effects on domestic nature.

raccoons are an invasive way, which is why the fight against these animals has been made a mandatory manner. According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, measures to contain are necessary. A look at the legal regulations also says that in contrast to Lower Saxony in other federal states, such as Brandenburg or Bavaria, there is no closing time for these animals. So the hunting is handled more flexibly here.

administration and strategies

In order to master the challenges, a task force was set up in the district of Northeim, which is specifically dealing with combating the raccoon population. This initiative is necessary because the increase in invasive species carries risks to domestic biodiversity. In Lower Saxony, for example, reports about invasive types are made easy: If you discover such a species, you can report it via the Lower Saxony reporting platform (IASNI) or by email to help the specialist authorities to assess the situation and if necessary take measures. Information materials such as the Homepage of the NLWKN , also offer a good overview of invasive types and current regulations.

Overall, it should be noted: The raccoons not only have expanded their distribution significantly, but also bring challenges for people and nature. With the end of the closing time, every opportunity is used to master the problem. It remains to be seen whether the measures are sufficient to keep the raccoon population in check.