Grey #squirrels, #coypus, and #raccoons are perfect scapegoats for a hunting policy that likes to disguise itself as #speciesconservation. The real cause of species loss in Europe is something else entirely: intensive agriculture and forestry contribute significantly to the loss of #biodiversity – far more than an opportunistic omnivore. Hunting itself also creates more problems than it solves.
The more #animals are killed, the more offspring are born

https://wildbeimwild.com/en/282-499-dead-raccoons-and-the-population-continues-to-grow/

The real question, therefore, is not whether grey #squirrels, #coypus, and #raccoons are "nice" or "bad." The question is what kind of human-#animal relationship we will find acceptable in the future. A model in which every ecological shift is ultimately met with bullets, or one in which we focus on addressing the root causes, prevention, and modern, preferably non-lethal, control measures.

https://wildbeimwild.com/en/grey-squirrels-raccoons-and-nutria-are-not-the-problem-our-hunting-system-is./