Invading Luxembourg's invasive species

The fauna within Luxembourg's borders may not be the most exciting, seeing a deer or a fox (if you're really lucky a badger could cross your path at nighttime) may be the climax of an otherwise mundane wildlife scene.

However, good old humans and their yearning for intervention have spiced up some of the animals that you can encounter throughout the Grand-Duchy! An array of invasive species plague our lands but some of them are quite cool.

By definition, an invasive species is "an organism that is not native to the place where found and tends to grow and spread easily usually to the detriment of native species and ecosystems", typically introduced to an environment by accident or placed there by humans.

So, what animals have found their way into Luxembourg? Can we expect to see sloths in Bambesch or Moose in Flaxweiler? Well - of course not, but you may be surprised as to what lurks not so far from you!

This particular topic sparked my interest when I saw a black fox-like animal in a field on the way to Mersch. It was too big to be a cat and definitely wasn't a dog, with it being black it could not have been a fox.

So in a move that made me feel closer to 66 rather than 26, I contacted the Ministry of Biodiversity and was informed that it was most likely a raccoon dog. A racoon dog in Luxembourg!? What even is a raccoon dog?

Also known as a Chinese or Asian racoon dog, other than looking like they should be on Pokemon, they are of the same family as dogs and foxes but they climb trees and hibernate (definitely a Pokemon). They were bred by the Soviet Union in the early 20th century for the fur trade and subsequently released, allowing them to spread all over Europe.

Seeing it made me question what other weird and wonderful creatures are in our countryside. Although they share a name, raccoons have no relation to raccoon dogs but you can also find more and more of these in our area. Despite their cute nature, these little furry animals are seen as quite the threat, rummaging through your bins is a minor issue compared to the impacts they have on local fauna.

© Pixabay

You could be strolling around the Grund area and potentially come across a beaver-like animal, that is in fact a Coypus, becoming a more common sight throughout the Alzette these days. With a more rounded and longer tail than beavers, these giant rodents caused such a stir in northern Italy that the mayor of Lombardi suggested Italians should develop a taste for the semiaquatic pest - delicious.

A slightly smaller version of the animal also wanders round our wetlands namely the Muskrat. They likely traveled across the borders from neighboring regions but these rodents are extremely damaging to their environments. Hopefully, Lydie Polfer doesn't get similar ideas!

A further water related creature has also invaded our rivers, lakes and ponds. Originally from Africa, an animal hailed by ancient Egyptians, the Egyptian Goose is beautiful in its nature. Through its varying plumage colors; their brown eye patches contrasting their white wingspan with a stark green patch, they truly stand out.

Theories of how they arrived in Luxembourg vary, with some sources claiming they escaped from a zoo in the Netherlands and other stating they were released in the 18th century to complement the scenery. Look at them (below), you can’t tell me they're not better than our geese!

© Pexels

Luxembourg may not be home to the most exciting of wildlife but although they are invasive species, seeing one of them might just liven up your day. There’s an array of others that were not named such as the red eared slider turtle (common housepet), a couple of crayfish species and the Asian hornet but the less said about the latter the better.

If you have spotted any of these animals in your area, let us know in the comments!