Meet the fluffy raccoons who live at our TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary!

Raccoons are native to North America, and were introduced to Germany, where our TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary resides,  in the 1920's primarily for the production of fur for the fashion industry. Isolated animals escaped from such breeding farms and reproduced in the wild.

The raccoon's preferred habitat is deciduous and mixed forests. When there is imminent danger, he can climb trees at lightning speed. Raccoons are also great swimmers and prefer to be close to the water where they find most of their food. These twilight and nocturnal animals spend most of the day sleeping in tree hollows. Raccoons are active  animals who love to keep busy, and therefore our dedicated caretakers have to prepare enrichment for them. 

Since 2016, in Germany, a law prohibits the release of raccoons into the wild – without any exception. Therefore, the number of raccoons at TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary is always growing.

TIERART is currently building a new special station with an indoor and outdoor area for young raccoons. In addition, another new outdoor enclosure with more than 100m² of space will be created this year, which will be equipped with climbing and retreat facilities, as well as a pond with a watercourse. This way even more raccoons can be saved!