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Fritzi conquers Instagram
A raccoon up close – that’s everyday life for the Laininger family. And the Berliners share it regularly with their now more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, right from the start – that’s the idea. The veterinarian Mathilde Laininger: “We took little Fritzi with us…, also very early, she was fished out of a river by two boys at the age of three weeks and was quite hypothermic and also weak. After she was treated by the vet and with cat rearing milk was raised, of course she stayed here.” She had to, because raccoons are not allowed to be released back into the wild. They have been on the list of invasive species since 2016. Some are therefore calling for the animals to be eradicated again because they can become a problem for the local fauna, according to the German Nature Conservation Union. On the other hand, others are of the opinion that the raccoon is now part of our local animal world. Laininger agrees and advocates that the raccoon be removed from this list. Fritzi, Paul and Co seem to get along quite well with the other animals in their household. “Well, the animals, we have a dog and two cats, get along very well with the raccoons. The dog plays with them, the raccoons sleep with the dog in its basket. The cats are sometimes a little annoyed because the raccoons don’t keep their distance and sometimes a little rough. There are jealousies, but they come from the raccoons.” By the way, visitors can also experience a raccoon up close – by prior appointment. According to Laininger, nuts, fruit or toys are recommended as gifts.
The raccoon from Berlin now has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram.