The invasive species They are animals or plants that reach a territory and change the ecosystem at will. There is Adorable birdshuge fish … and also the case of a mammal that was believed to be eradicated in Lugo. Until now: the raccoon.
The Professional Association of Forest and Environmental Agents of Galicia (Apographa) spread the Image of a copy of this animalconsidered invasive species by the miteco (Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge). In that same place, more than a decade ago, 40 Mapaches were captured, but it is clear that some escaped.
This is the invasive species that Galicia again threatens
THE MAPACHE (Prayo Lotor) It is originally from North America and Central. He arrived in Spain at the beginning of the century as an exotic pet, but his domestic life lasted little. Many escaped or releasedand in a matter of years they adapted to rivers, forests and even urban areas.
Each specimen measures between 62 centimeters and one meter, including the ring of 20 to 40 centimeters. His five fingers, similar to a human hand, They allow you to open garbage cubes, handle objects and access food anywhere. Without natural predators in Europe, competes successfully against native species such as fox or tuition.
In Galicia, the alert jumped in 2012, when a Broken in the province of Lugo. The technicians of the Conservation Servizo da Natureza captured 40 copies in Friol, Outeiro de Rei, Rábade and the capital itself.
The investigations pointed to Marcelle Zoo leaksalthough the origin of other private farms was not ruled out either. Since then, there was hardly any news of his presence, until now.
The exemplary located this July appeared in a riverbank area of the IX district, within a routine environmental control operation. His finding opens two possibilities: that it comes from an individual or that is a descendant of those who managed to dodge the traps more than ten years ago.
How is the threat of this invading mapache
The Mapache is an opportunist. Its diet includes eggs, nests, small mammals, fish, frogs and water birds. In breeding areas, this predatory pattern You can sweep entire generations. In the Canary Islands, a single specimen killed more than 100 young from Cinderella.
The danger is not limited to fauna. The Mapache is also carrier of diseases such as anger or the parasite Baylisascaris procyoniswhich can affect the human nervous system. When feeding in garbage dumps and housing areas, the risk for people and domestic animals increases.
In Madrid, where the species has been settled for years, there is no longer talk of eradication but of containment. Since 2007, more than 800 copies have been captured, but its population remains stable thanks to its high reproductive capacity and their ability to avoid traps.
The Mapache captured in Lugo was transferred to the Reference Conservation Centerfollowing the exotic fauna protocol. In 2012, all the copies trapped were sacrificed to prevent their expansion.
The reappearance of this mammal recalls that, in terms of invasive species, a single individual can be the spark that reactivates a problem that seemed solved.
