Nearly a century ago two pairs of North American raccoons were tipped out of crates beside a German reservoir. Those four animals helped launch a population now estimated at close to two million, turning forests and city streets into their playground and leaving locals split over whether the masked mammals are pests or pets.

Four raccoons let loose by a lake in 1934

Back in April 1934 forestry staff near Vohl, about 50 kilometres southwest of Kassel, opened two boxes on the southern shore of the Edersee. Two males and two females of Procyon lotor trotted freely. Official paperwork had been sent to the Prussian hunting office asking permission “to enrich the fauna”, yet the animals were released before formal approval arrived.

For years tourist guides, local politicians and plenty of residents repeated a colourful tale that Nazi bigwig Hermann Göring ordered the release himself. Former Vohl forestry boss Eberhard Leicht dug through the old files and found no evidence Göring ever signed off or even knew about it. “The whole process was simply an administrative matter,” he told investigators. The decision sat with local officials – nothing more.

From tiny group to millions across Germany

Those original four cannot account for today’s numbers alone. After the Second World War more raccoons slipped out of a fur farm in Brandenburg. Genetic tests on more than 400 animals later pointed to at least two further introductions, one near the Czech border in eastern Saxony and another in the Harz Mountains.

Kassel itself has earned the nickname “European capital of the raccoon”, with roughly 30,000 of them living in and around the city. Clever climbers and bin-raiders, they turn up in hospital corridors, power stations, zoos and attic spaces, sometimes leaving thousands of euros’ worth of damage behind. They have also crossed into the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Switzerland and other countries.

Hunting fails to halt the rise

Most German states now allow year-round shooting. Since 2005 the annual cull has quadrupled and now goes over 250,000 animals. Yet numbers keep climbing. Vera Heck, who runs the Federal Association of Wildlife Rescue Organisations, puts it bluntly: “They shoot and shoot and shoot, and every year there are more raccoons!”

The European Union lists the species as an invasive alien of Union concern. Some studies show the animals take eggs of waterbirds and amphibians. Other researchers argue the evidence for wide-scale harm to German biodiversity remains thin. Either way, the population shows no sign of shrinking.

Divided opinions on the masked visitors

In many towns neighbours still put out food each evening, while others dial the hunters the moment a raccoon appears on the roof. Property owners complain of wrecked insulation and chewed wiring. Nature groups worry about pressure on already struggling native species. Ninety-plus years after those first crates were opened beside the Edersee, the raccoons look set to stay.

A fast-moving wildfire is putting homes and communities in western Spain at risk, with residents already forced to leave their properties and fears growing that more people could be displaced as the flames push towards Salamanca. The blaze has ripped through countryside in Cáceres since Tuesday afternoon, with around 2,200 hectares now affected.

The most dangerous part of the fire is moving towards Cerezal and Nuñomoral, while another front has crossed the provincial boundary into Salamanca. Around 700 people have already had to leave ten small settlements. They cannot yet return, as firefighters have warned that the fire could change behaviour rapidly during the hottest and windiest part of the day. 

More people could be forced out

Residents of Nuñomoral are facing the possibility of further restrictions as the fire approaches the municipality. Rather than ordering an evacuation, authorities have told people there to remain indoors, close their windows and doors and follow emergency instructions.

The town has around 1,200 inhabitants, meaning any deterioration could affect a substantial number of people. Those already evacuated include residents of Horcajo, Avellanar, Erías, Castillo, El Gasco, Martilandrán, Aldehuela, La Fragosa, Robledo and Cerezal. People have been taken to temporary accommodation, with 230 currently registered at the student residence in Caminomisco. A further 57 places remain available there.

A centre for people with severe disabilities has also been cleared. Thirty-eight residents of the Cottolengo centre were moved to safer accommodation after the fire threatened the area.  The authorities have kept all the evacuation orders in place because they cannot guarantee that the affected communities are safe enough for residents to return.

The fire has reached Salamanca

The blaze began at around 2.30pm on Tuesday near Robledo, in the municipality of Pinofranqueado, in Cáceres. It initially spread through the Las Hurdes area before advancing towards the neighbouring province. By Wednesday, the flames had crossed into Salamanca around Vegas de Domingo Rey, in the municipality of Agallas.

That has brought firefighting teams from Castilla y León into the response and created a new concern for communities on the Salamanca side of the border.  For readers unfamiliar with the area, Las Hurdes is a mountainous region in northern Cáceres, close to the Salamanca border. The fire’s movement means what began as a local emergency in Extremadura is now affecting a second province.

2,200 hectares already affected

Around 2,200 hectares have been affected, predominantly pine forest, although the figure remains an estimate while the fire continues to develop.  The greatest concern is not simply the amount of land already burned, but what could happen if the fire reaches the Valle de los Tejos. Authorities have warned that the large amount of vegetation in the area could allow the flames to intensify rapidly.

The fire has already shown unusually aggressive behaviour. It has generated pyrocumulus clouds, created by the enormous amount of heat released by the flames, which can produce their own atmospheric conditions. That can make the direction and speed of a wildfire much harder to predict. Burning embers, known as pavesas, have also been carried away from the main fronts and caused fresh outbreaks on the western side of the fire. 

Difficult conditions are hampering firefighters

High temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are adding to the difficulty. The terrain is another major obstacle. Parts of the fire are too steep and inaccessible for crews to work directly on foot or with heavy machinery. The head of the fire towards Cerezal and Nuñomoral is currently causing the greatest concern because of the amount of combustible vegetation and the difficulty of reaching it.

Crews have had more success in other areas. The western flank towards Horcajo has been closed, while sections around El Gasco, La Fragosa and Martilandrán have shown slower fire behaviour.   More than 240 emergency personnel and 24 aircraft are involved in the operation, with the Unidad Militar de Emergencias, wildfire teams and crews from Castilla y León among those working to contain the blaze. 

Fire is believed to have been deliberate

Investigators are also looking into whether the fire was deliberately started. Extremadura’s regional government has put the likelihood of intentional ignition at 99 per cent. The suspected starting point is beside a road between Robledo and Avellanar, although the investigation has not yet formally established the cause.  Three homes in Avellanar have also been damaged by the fire.

For residents who have already fled, the key question is when they can safely return. At present, officials have made clear that there is not enough certainty to lift the evacuation orders. With the fire now extending into Salamanca and the most difficult front still threatening communities in Cáceres, the possibility of further evacuations remains if the flames intensify. 

Residents in a quiet corner of central Spain have been given something rather more unnerving to talk about than the weather after a reported lion sighting sent the Guardia Civil into action. A major search operation has been launched in the Sierra de San Vicente in Toledo after a delivery driver contacted emergency services to report seeing what appeared to be a lion beside a mountain road.

Helicopters, drones and Guardia Civil patrols have since been sent into the area in an attempt to find the mystery animal, although there is still no confirmation that a lion is actually roaming through the countryside.

Report of lion sparks emergency search

According to sources from the Guardia Civil, the alarm was raised on Wednesday, August 19 after a member of the public called the 112 emergency service, claiming to have spotted a lion close to the Convento del Piélago.

The reported sighting took place on the TO-1375 road, around kilometre 9, which connects El Real de San Vicente with Navamorcuende. That is not exactly the sort of location where motorists would normally expect to encounter a member of the African Big Five. Nevertheless, authorities have taken the report seriously and activated a search involving several branches of the Guardia Civil.

SEPRONA, the Guardia Civil’s nature protection unit, is leading the operation, with officers checking the surrounding countryside while aerial searches are carried out. A helicopter from the Community of Madrid has been deployed, while drones operated by the Toledo Guardia Civil command have also been flying over the area.

Has a lion escaped from a zoo?

One obvious question has been whether a big cat could have escaped from a nearby animal attraction. The Guardia Civil has checked Zoo Safari Fauna Aventura in Hinojosa de San Vicente, which is located in the same general area, as well as other possible private animal holdings.

Checks have also extended to zoos in the Community of Madrid. So far, however, no missing lion has been reported.

That leaves investigators with a rather unusual mystery: somebody appears to have seen something that looked enough like a lion to warrant a call to the emergency services, but there is currently no confirmed escaped big cat. Officials have not ruled out the possibility that the reported animal could have come from a nearby private collection or facility, so the checks are continuing.

Locals warned to take care

Several town halls have also reacted to the report, warning residents through social media to take precautions while the search continues. Hinojosa de San Vicente, Navamorcuende, El Real de San Vicente and Almendral de la Cañada are among the municipalities that have passed on information to residents.

Almendral de la Cañada’s mayor, Marcelino Fernandez, told the press that the Guardia Civil had contacted the town hall and described the reaction locally as one of surprise and nervousness.

Anyone who believes they have seen the animal å report it to the emergency services rather than attempting to approach it. Spain’s 112 emergency service can coordinate the response of the relevant police, rescue and emergency bodies when there is a potential risk to people, property or the environment.

Until the mystery is solved, residents around the Sierra de San Vicente may want to think twice before taking an evening stroll through the hills. After all, there are plenty of things you might expect to encounter in the Toledo countryside. A bloody great lion is probably not one of them!