Raccoons may look very cute, but they are a menace and the Ministry of the Environment has been trying to eradicate them from Mallorca for years.
The Consortium for the Recovery of the Fauna of the Balearic Islands or Cofib has captured 240 raccoons in cages that were placed in different areas of the Serra de Tramuntana, mainly in Banyalbufar, Estellencs, Puigpungent, Valldemossa, Sóller and Esporles.
Cofib says they are an invasive species that has serious consequences for local biodiversity and native wildlife and can transmit disease to humans. It's been trying to control the raccoon population for nine years and is appealing to the public not to release them from cages in Serra de Tramuntana.
There are two theories as to how the raccoons arrived on the island, either they escaped from a zoo in the Serra de Tramuntana or they were being kept as pets and escaped.