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.

San Javier recently celebrated the thrilling conclusion of its International Theatre, Music, and Dance Festival. For several vibrant weeks, this idyllic town in Murcia transformed into a premier cultural sanctuary, drawing thousands of theatergoers, music enthusiasts, and arts aficionados to the shores of the Mar Menor. From intense classical tragedies to groundbreaking contemporary choreography, the festival once again proved why it remains one of the most essential gatherings on the Spanish summer arts calendar.

A triumphant season on the Mediterranean stage

At the centre of the festival was the open-air Auditorio Parque Almansa venue. Under warm Mediterranean summer skies, the iconic amphitheatre hosted a succession of remarkable theatrical productions that spanned centuries of dramatic literature. Audiences were treated to performances of timeless masterpieces including Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Lope de Vega’s La Dama Boba, and Federico García Lorca’s La Barraca. The programme balanced these revered classics with daring contemporary interpretations by emerging local talents. Each performance demonstrated a deep commitment to preserving dramatic tradition while giving contemporary directors room to create.

Electrifying flamenco and headline music performances

Dance and music were just as essential to the festival’s theme, delivering some of the summer’s most emotionally resonant moments. A renowned local dancer, Rocío Molina, brought extraordinary physical expression and raw flamenco energy to the stage, captivating audiences with her bold artistry. In music, the schedule reached a powerful emotional high point during the headlining concert by the iconic Spanish singer Luz Casal. Her voice echoed through the outdoor arena to a packed house, creating an unforgettable atmosphere that highlighted the festival’s ability to feature top-tier international and national talent.

Throughout the month, free outdoor showcases brought high-calibre street theatre and modern dance directly into social community spaces. San Javier’s Plaza España became an open-air stage for thought-provoking pieces like Sísifos and Winter Speaks. Meanwhile, seaside crowds along the waterfront esplanades of Santiago de la Ribera and the bustling marina at Puerto Tomás Maestre in La Manga del Mar Menor enjoyed impromptu performance installations with the sea as their backdrop.

Bringing the performing arts to coastal streets in San Javier

Complementing the live performances, the Teatro de Invierno hosted a curated film series, called their Ciclo de Cine, offering cinephiles a thoughtful cinematic perspective that enriched the overall artistic dialogue. As production crews dismantle the sets and the town returns to its tranquil coastal routine, local organisers and attendees alike reflect on another magnificent edition of this event. The festival has not only entertained countless residents and visitors in the charming Costa Calida town, but has also reaffirmed San Javier’s proud legacy as a hub of artistic excellence and creative community spirit.

Since a senior Lufthansa executive flew to Barcelona to break the deadlock in person, the queues and stranded suitcases have only grown. Flight cancellations have nearly doubled in a week, and none of the roughly 20 airlines caught up in the chaos know when it will end.

The indefinite strike by ground-handling staff at Barcelona-El Prat airport has now run for more than two weeks, with no fresh talks scheduled between the union and Groundforce, the company that employs them. What started as a walkout affecting around 170 flights and 3,000 bags has climbed to roughly 270 cancelled flights and 6,000 pieces of stranded luggage.

Passengers flying through Barcelona with Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways, United Airlines and close to 20 carriers in total have faced repeated cancellations and baggage reclaim waits of more than five hours. British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Level, easyJet and Ryanair, which use different ground handlers, have been unaffected.

Lufthansa’s top brass flew in, but nothing changed

Six of the Lufthansa Group’s airlines, including Lufthansa itself, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Discover Airlines, are among the carriers hit hardest by the disruption. Given that exposure, the airline group sent a senior executive to Barcelona this week in an attempt to help resolve the standoff in person. 

The visit, however, produced no breakthrough. Groundforce and the CGT union, which represents the roughly 1,175 ground staff on strike, have not held formal talks since July 24, more than a week before the walkout even began.

Why the workers say this was never about money

CGT spokeswoman Esther García said the company had “refused to negotiate decent working conditions”, calling management’s stance a failure of responsibility. Her colleague Juan Navarro put it more plainly earlier in the dispute: “We’re not asking for money, this is about our safety and health.”

The union points to understaffing, excessive shift rotations and inadequate rest periods as the root of the dispute, and says stress-related sick leave among ground staff has doubled since Groundforce’s management changed two years ago.

Government-ordered minimum services have not stopped the cancellations

Spain’s Ministry of Transport has ordered Groundforce to maintain between 35 and 80 per cent of normal service levels depending on the route, a legal minimum designed to limit the damage of the strike. It has not been enough to prevent near-daily cancellations though, and a power failure at the airport’s control tower on August 12 added further delays.

The contrast with Mallorca is stark. A separate ground-handling dispute at Palma de Mallorca airport, involving the company Swissport, was resolved through negotiation earlier this month, leaving Barcelona as the summer’s one unresolved staffing conflict.

Families describe week-long waits for stranded bags

Online passenger accounts offer a more detailed and on the ground picture of the consequences behind the strike. One traveller wrote on Reddit that their family of four flew from Prague to Barcelona with Smartwings on August 8, and that none of their three suitcases made it onto the flight because of the strike. The bags stayed missing for the family’s entire week-long holiday, forcing them to buy replacement clothes, toiletries and swimwear, and were still logged as “pending” in the airline’s tracing system days after they had flown home.

Another passenger, who landed from Frankfurt with Condor on Sunday August 16, said they had heard nothing about their bags despite repeated calls and emails, and asked other travellers whether going to the airport in person had helped anyone track down missing luggage.

Not every account was as bleak though. One flyer arriving from Seoul with Asiana, which also uses Groundforce, said they had been warned of possible delays the day before travelling, only for their case to arrive faster than usual once they landed, pointing out that the disruption ins’t hitting every passenger evenly. 

What passengers flying via Barcelona should know 

Because the disruption stems from an independent ground handling company rather than airline staff, it is generally treated as an “extraordinary circumstance” under EU rules, meaning affected passengers are not entitled to cash compensation. Airlines must still offer a rerouting or a full refund, along with food, communication and, where necessary, overnight accommodation.

Some carriers have gone further. United Airlines has issued a fee-free change waiver for passengers booked through Barcelona, and other airlines are expected to offer similar flexibility while the strike continues. With no new talks scheduled and peak summer traffic still running high, passengers due to fly via Barcelona in the coming weeks are being advised to check their flight status before travelling.