Goering's gift: raccoons captured Germany (5 photos + 1 video)
Raccoons have turned one of the cities of Germany into their own capital. Animals are rampaging through homes and raiding trash cans. The footage shows more than a dozen furry creatures roaming the streets of Kassel. 
Hermann Goering introduced raccoons to Germany in the 1930s.
On April 12, 1934, Wilhelm Freiherr Sittich von Berlepsch, head of the local forestry department, released two pairs of raccoons at the nearby Lake Edersee to “enrich” the local wildlife. And since then, “masked bandits” have been creating chaos, and farmers have nicknamed them Nazis. 
Kassel, with a population of 200,000 people, is home to approximately 30,000 raccoons. And this figure is 25 times higher than in any other city in Germany.
Experts believe that the species' population will soon reach a million. 
The resilient animals are taking over the parks and streets of Kassel, climbing into chimneys and attics, rummaging through trash cans and gardens in search of food.
They break into houses, brazenly stroll along busy streets and fight off cats and dogs.
Raccoons primarily feed on birds and amphibians, including the endangered yellow-bellied toad.
However, the charming robbers have become the unofficial mascot of the city - stores sell plush toys, T-shirts and magnets with their image. 
"They are pests. I have seen attics that have been completely destroyed by raccoons. The cost of damage can reach 10,000 euros. One house even had to be demolished," says hunter Frank Becker.
Biologist Berit Michler believes that the harm is exaggerated: "Raccoons are lazy. They eat mainly what is easy to get, and these are usually species in abundance."
In 2016, the EU listed the raccoon as an invasive species. 
The country's authorities decided to shoot raccoons; last year alone, 200,000 individuals were killed.
Animal rights groups, including PETA, have called for an end to the shooting. Some keep these animals as pets, and shelters nurse injured babies before releasing them back into the wild.
