In the ponds in the lily forest near Petterweil, hundreds of toads look out of the water. They lay their spawn there and in this way provide offspring. This is how it has been at this place near Bad Vilbel for years, as the local nature conservation association reports. But this spring, these amphibians were almost completely absent. For this purpose, the conservationists have found numerous toad skins in the waters. They already have the possible cause in mind: They suspect the raccoon as the culprit, because it has multiplied considerably in the Frankfurt area in recent years and does not disdain toads either.

Thorsten Winter

Correspondent of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for Central Hesse and the Wetterau.

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"Female toads, with their belly filled with spawn, are of course an excellent, protein-rich source of food," says Nabu in Bad Vilbel. However, toads protect their sensitive skin with a glandular secretion, as Johannes Lang, a biologist at the Wildlife Biologist Working Group at the University of Giessen, says. The secretion is considered poisonous, which has consequences for animals that get too close to a toad. If a dog takes a toad in its mouth, it begins to drool heavily because of the immediate onset of salivation, explains Lang. Many dog owners know this from experience. A raccoon would be no different, but according to Lang, he can help himself.

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With his hands, the raccoon skinned the toad before eating it. Such cases are well documented. In the relevant literature, there is also talk of rats and polecats that molt toads. But it's not entirely clear whether these animals eat the amphibians in a different way that leaves the skins, as Lang says. In case of doubt, the raccoon is more skillful. In this respect, the suspicion expressed by Nabu is well founded. However, it is not possible to say reliably whether the dramatic decline near Petterweil is actually attributable to this species.

Moreover, according to Lang, amphibians have completely different existential difficulties in Germany and other countries. They would be decimated by a skin fungus, the spread of which is ensured by humans. The skin fungus comes from other amphibians kept in captivity, which do not mind it, but subsequently end up in nature. The fire salamander suffers considerably from this. In order to save the species, there are so-called ark projects. In addition to the Giessen Wildlife Biologists' Working Group, the Opel Zoo in the Taunus region is also involved in such projects, says Lang. Nevertheless, he fears: "Lurchi will soon be history."