«Raccoons first appeared in Belarus in the 1950s. Three releases of these animals were carried out in the middle reaches of the Pripyat River basin (what is now the Srednyaya Pripyat Nature Reserve and Pripyatsky National Park). The animals were released to enrich the hunting fauna. Hunting them was permitted as early as the late 1960s,» the center said. By the late 1980s, however, raccoons were no longer recorded in the area, with only isolated sightings. «We assumed that the raccoon had disappeared from our territory,» the expert said.
Around 2014, a raccoon was first recorded in the Berestovitsa District, where the animal was killed during a hunt. No further information about raccoons was received afterward. There were also isolated sightings in Naliboki Forest. «The appearance of these animals has yet to be explained. We do not know where they came from or why they appeared. It is possible that people released their pets into the wild. They may also have entered Belarus from Poland, where there are quite a lot of raccoons and where they are already causing considerable environmental damage. For example, raccoons managed to get into one of Europe’s largest bat roosts in winter, not only disturbing the bats but also killing some of them,» the center said.
«In 2025, we found a dead animal on a road near Ivye. During a reconnaissance trip there, we found raccoon tracks and even took a photo of them with a camera trap,» the center said. «We contacted hunters and made inquiries. A raccoon was also found in Baranovichi District. We assume that the animal is spreading through the Neman River basin.»
Raccoons are a North American species that is not native to Belarus. According to specialists, raccoons may hibernate in winter and need large tree hollows for this purpose. They choose hollows in mature willows or oaks. «Raccoons prefer broadleaf forests. They eat practically anything they can find. They are neither predators nor herbivores. They can eat berries and corn, as well as bugs and worms. They also raid bird nests, not only those on the ground. They are excellent climbers, so they pose a threat to all fauna living in trees,» the center said.
It is precisely because of the potentially serious damage to the environment that the raccoon is considered a potential invasive species. «In North America, raccoons have become so well adapted that in human settlements they rummage through garbage bins looking for food. They are doing much the same around Lake Svityaz now. There are garbage bins at the landscaped beaches where people throw away food scraps and other waste. When we were studying raccoon tracks in the area, parking staff and OSVOD rescuers told us that raccoons had become very adept at getting into these bins. Sometimes, when waste collection crews arrive, the animals are very reluctant to climb out,» the center said. In such cases, raccoons can potentially pose a risk to humans because they may carry dangerous diseases, including rabies.
