Rescue from the toilet: Raccoon causes excitement in Dellbrück!

Rescue from the toilet: Raccoon causes excitement in Dellbrück!

It's the little stories of everyday life that ultimately have the greatest impact. This happened recently in Cologne, when the company “Rohr- und wassertechnik Schleifer” in Dellbrück was called into action to free a supposed rat. Patrick Heinen, 40 years old and an experienced employee, set out with a colleague. On site, the family reported an animal that had been heard but not seen in the toilet drain pipe for more than a day. The situation seemed strange to them because rats don't normally stay in one place for so long, as Express reports.

After dismantling the toilet, the men looked into the drain pipe - and to everyone's surprise, first a nose appeared and then a large head. Instead of a rat, they found a small, wet raccoon! He had actually spent 24 hours in the drain while the family kept flushing the toilet unnoticed. “It was really a strange sight,” says Patrick, who with his colleague finally held a bucket in the right position, into which the raccoon climbed into on its own.

An animal loving family

The family was very fond of animals and considered calling an animal rescue center because they were worried that the little raccoon might be too weak to just be dumped. It turned out that the house is near a forest where a family of raccoons is already suspected. Patrick suspects the raccoon fell over the roof and through the vent into the sewer, but that's not unusual.

“I’m proud of the team,” says Patrick’s boss, “we helped him in a timely manner.” The experience has also opened up a broader discussion about the spread of raccoons, which have now become home to sewage treatment plants in many cities, including Cologne. Elsewhere, like in Berlin, there are pilot projects to control the raccoon population, as can be found on hauptsache-waschbaer.de.

Raccoon Project Controversies

A project to capture and sterilize raccoons should start in Berlin in order to control the growing population. Male raccoons were supposed to be sterilized and female raccoons castrated, but this plan was recently rejected because the relevant authorities expressed concerns about a lack of permits. The environmental administration advocates other measures, such as electric fences, to deter the animals.

However, experts warn against massive killing operations because raccoons have high reproductive rates. A sustainable strategy to control the population could include placing wildlife-safe trash cans and depriving them of food. The goal is not only to provide people with a safe environment, but also to allay unfounded concerns about health risks from raccoons.

In summary, the incident in Cologne not only shows the animal-loving attitude of the population, but also vividly highlights the challenges that we face when we live together with nature. Hopefully, both local raccoons and people in the cities can find a respectful coexistence.