Five animals you wouldn't expect to find in German cities  Really, they live here?!

Why are whales, wild dogs from Japan and parrots seen in Hamburg, Berlin or Cologne? It's simple: German cities are their new home!

Who Roams the Cities at Night? The Tanuki

The Japanese call it Tanuki and attribute magical powers to it. It resembles a raccoon, but has the physique and paws of a dog. In the 1920s, the tanuki was brought to Europe from East Asia as a fur animal. They have lived here in the wild since the 1960s, mainly in northern and eastern Germany. Tanuki love forests and swamps, but are increasingly venturing into the outskirts of large cities - especially in Hamburg. They are shy of humans: they are only seen at night. Then the omnivores roam around in search of food, hunt smaller animals or rummage through rubbish.

How a Tropical Parrot Conquered Germany's Parks

Nobody knows exactly how this bright green parrot made the leap into German parks. The collared parakeet actually lives south of the Sahara and in Asia. But in 1967, a freely breeding pair was discovered in Cologne - possibly escaped from the zoo. Around 20,000 collared parakeets now live in Germany, mainly in cities on the Rhine such as Cologne, Bonn and Düsseldorf. The winters here are mild, there are plenty of plane seeds and the birds have hardly any natural enemies. The parrot has even made it to Berlin. Two parakeets spent the winter in Görlitzer Park in 2024 – Kreuzberg has always attracted very special inhabitants.

The Harbour Porpoise's Comeback

Somehow, these little whales always look like they are smiling. The harbour porpoise is the only native whale species in Germany and has been celebrating its comeback in Hamburg and Bremen for around ten years. They had disappeared from the Hanseatic cities for decades - until last year, when suddenly more harbour porpoises were recorded in the Elbe and Weser than ever before. They swam as far as Bremen and even into Hamburg harbour! The whales follow the smelt, a small fish that swims upstream in spring to spawn. It is unclear why the whales have returned.

A Butterfly Eats Entire City Parks

This butterfly is definitely not affected by insect mortality: The box tree moth is originally from Asia, but has been spreading across Europe since 2007. Its favourite food – yes, its only food! – is the box tree. And so, for some years now, the moth has been eating its way through hedges, gardens and castle parks in major German cities, destroying even ancient box trees. A nightmare for amateur gardeners and landscape architects. However, some variants of the moth are surprisingly pretty – with shiny golden, pearly wings.

The Peregrine Falcon – Fastest Hunter in the World

When this high-speed hunter has spotted its prey, it swoops down on it at speeds of up to 300 km/h. This makes it the fastest animal in the world. This makes the peregrine falcon the fastest animal in the world. It needs one thing above all for its dive: height. That's why it loves cliffs – or high-rise buildings and church steeples. In cities such as Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main or Cologne, you can observe them with a bit of luck, usually high up on roof gables or spires. From there, it has the best view of unsuspecting city pigeons, its favourite prey.

May 2025