Radiolab – "Stranger in Paradise"

Release Date: January 27, 2017
Hosts: Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich
Reported by: Simon Adler
Setting: Guadeloupe (French Caribbean)

Overview:

This episode delves into a curious case of identity, belonging, and conservation through the story of the Guadeloupe raccoon. What appears on the surface to be a story about nuisance animals becomes a complex exploration of scientific classification, colonial dynamics, cultural identity, and the messiness of "nature" itself. Reporter Simon Adler brings listeners to Guadeloupe, where the raccoon is both a national symbol and, increasingly, an ecological and cultural problem.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Guadeloupe and the Nuisance Raccoon

• Setting the Scene:
  Simon Adler visits a Guadeloupe watermelon farm run by Sully and Lois, who have battled raccoons devastating their crop for 15 years. (03:13–06:12)
• Raccoons as Pests:
  Despite electric fences, traps, and even guard dogs, nothing deters the raccoons. The raccoons are astoundingly clever, bending traps and even, in one tragic case, killing a guard dog:
  • Quote (Sully’s wife, Lois, re: the aftermath):

    "It was carnage. It was a massacre." (06:45)

2. Love for the Raccoon

• Contradictory Sentiments:
  Despite the widespread nuisance, Guadeloupeans adore raccoons. The animal is featured on billboards, statues, and in the zoo's main exhibits. (08:04–09:18)
• Sentimentality vs. Survival:
  Sully and Lois, the affected farmers, can’t bring themselves to kill raccoons:
  • Quote (Lois):

    "Killing them is a little... a little harsh." (07:39)

3. The Raccoon's Rise to Mascot Status

• The Science:
  In 1911, a scientist named Miller received a raccoon carcass from Guadeloupe and declared it a new species: Procyon minor. This set up the assumption of a unique, endemic animal. (09:50–11:02)
• Protected & Celebrated (1980s–90s):
  France passed a law protecting the "Guadeloupe raccoon" and the animal became national park mascot—a source of pride and an emblem of cultural distinction from France. (11:57–13:01)
  • Quote (Blandine Guimont, Wildlife police):

    "It really became that symbol of protected species." (12:31)

4. The Raccoon as Family

• Emotional Ties:
  Personal stories, like that of Na Marie Joseph, who hand-raised a raccoon ("Sophie") as a pet, illustrate genuine emotional connection and heartbreak (14:38–15:42).
  • Quote (Na):

    "When he died, I cried. I cried his name. It was a really, really painful time for me." (15:42)

5. Colonial Undercurrents and the Law

• Symbol of Independence:
  The raccoon’s protected status becomes a way for Guadeloupe to assert cultural independence from France—mirroring historic tensions (16:16–17:08).
• Enforcement Struggles:
  White, French police enforce no-pet-raccoon laws via militaristic “raids,” sometimes in poor, Black neighborhoods—a microcosm of colonial authority (18:00–27:17).
  • Quote (Antoine, officer):

    “As a police officer… I have to be here to enforce the law, period. No questions asked.” (19:13)

6. Scientific Detective Work—The "Type Specimen"

• Smithsonian Museum Visit:
  Simon and mammalogist Christopher Helgen examine the original “type specimen” of the Guadeloupe raccoon and its DNA (28:46–34:08).
• Revelation:
  Genetic and anatomical analysis shows it isn’t a unique species—it’s just the common North American raccoon, likely brought by ship in the last 200 years.
  • Quote (Helgen):

    "Not only are these, you know, not very different, they are just simply North American raccoons." (33:29)

7. The Shift—From Endemic Icon to Invasive Species

• Cultural Resistance:
  Despite the new science, Guadeloupe kept the findings quiet and maintained the raccoon’s protected status:
  • Quote (Helgen, relaying locals’ response):

    "Thank you very much, but we’re going to hold on to our raccoon.” (35:28)

• Emotional Fallout:
  For locals like Na, the revelation is “kind of sad… I wish it would have been so.” (37:49–38:08)
• Policy Tension:
  The EU "blacklists" raccoons as invasive; France may soon require eradication (39:30).

8. National Identity and Scientific Fact

• Dissonance:
  Even as an “imposter,” the raccoon remains national icon—and few are eager to start hunting or eradicating it.
  • Quote (Sully):

    “I don’t see myself taking a rifle, running to the field and just lying in wait to shoot them.” (40:21)

• Reflection (Robert Krulwich):

  “Every time a nation chooses to identify with some wild thing, it’s mostly really about the people identifying, not about the animal.” (41:23)

9. Final Reflections—Science vs. Meaning

• Helgen’s Take:
  As a scientist, facts should win; but as an outsider, he acknowledges, “This is their island, these are their animals... it can be very challenging for scientists like myself to come to terms with, but that's how the world works.” (42:55–43:51)
• Speculative Hope:
  Some scientists float: if you leave raccoons on Guadeloupe long enough, maybe they’ll eventually evolve into a unique species after all.
  • Quote (Adler):

    “Maybe someday they could be reclassified yet again, this time as real Guadalupian raccoons.” (44:43)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Lois (on raccoon raids): "[The attack] was carnage. It was a massacre." (06:45)
• Jad Abumrad: "So, who or what is doing all this?"
  Lois/Sully: "Raccoons." (04:31)
• Lois (on killing raccoons): "Killing them is a little... a little harsh." (07:39)
• Na Marie Joseph (on Sophie): "When he died, I cried. It was a really, really painful time for me." (15:42)
• Christopher Helgen: "Not only are these, you know, not very different, they are just simply North American raccoons." (33:29)
• Helgen (on the government response):

  "'Thank you very much, but we're going to hold on to our raccoon.'" (35:28)

• Sully (on potential eradication):

  “I don't see myself taking a rifle, running to the field and just lying in wait to shoot them.” (40:21)

• Robert Krulwich (on national animals):

  "Every time a nation chooses to identify with some wild thing, it's mostly really about the people identifying, not about the animal." (41:23)

• Jad (on fact vs. perspective):

  "There is a fact here... but then there's the stuff on top... Are they natural? Are they invasive? Do they belong here? Those don't feel like facts. Those feel like judgments." (41:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:56–06:12: Introduction to the raccoon problem on the farm; efforts to fend them off.
• 07:39–09:18: Farmers explain reluctance to kill raccoons; cultural affection for the animal.
• 11:02–13:01: How the raccoon became a symbol of Guadeloupe, protected by law.
• 14:38–15:42: Na’s story about raising a raccoon as a pet.
• 17:08–21:26: Police enforcement of raccoon laws and raccoon "liberation" raid.
• 28:46–34:08: Smithsonian research reveals the raccoon’s true origins.
• 35:28–37:49: Local resistance to changing the raccoon’s official status.
• 40:21–41:23: Sully’s and Lois' take after learning the scientific truth.
• 41:23–42:55: Hosts reflect on meaning, national identity, and scientific fact.

Conclusion:

"Stranger in Paradise" artfully demonstrates how the stories we tell about nature are inseparable from politics, history, and human need. The Guadalupian raccoon, whether scientifically special or not, is now a cultural touchstone—one endangered more by reclassification than extinction. The episode closes with the core challenge: What happens when scientific truth collides with cultural meaning? And who ultimately gets to decide?

Final reflection from Christopher Helgen:

"It’s important… but at the same time, it’s really a question for Guadeloupe. This is their island, these are their animals..." (42:55)

For listeners:
This episode is an exploration of the tangled web between science and identity, focusing on a Caribbean island whose beloved mascot turns out not to be what anyone thought it was—a true Radiolab curiosity trip.