Raccoon Dog in Europe

Image Source: Zoologer

​Every month, several alien species are introduced in new ecosystems where they threaten biodiversity. Non-native, exotic species, be it a giant Hippopotamus or an amphibian Cane Toad, can wreak havoc on the environment, ecology, and economy in their new homes. 
 
Alien species may alter habitats, predate on or compete with native fauna or be important vectors of diseases and parasites. The hardy, fast-growing creatures with few or no natural predators in the new home bully the native flora and fauna to the point of extinction. Several carnivore species like the American mink, raccoon, and raccoon dog were brought to Europe for their valuable fur or to become pets in the black market. 

Raccoon Dog
Though the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) resembles North American raccoons, it is the closest relative of the Canidae family’s true foxes. The stumpy grayish-black raccoon dog, indigenous to East Asia, has established itself in sub-tropical regions of Northern and Eastern Europe. 

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It is expanding its range further to the west and south. The ability to cover long distances also aid in its spread to new areas. It has rendered them remarkably adaptive to a wide range of habitats, climates, and food options. 

The omnivore Raccoon dog adapts its diet throughout the seasons.  It feeds on rodents, amphibians, and carrion in cold months and feasts on/forage nesting birds and organic fruits and vegetables in summer. They can even consume the poisonous cane toads by diluting the bufotoxin through their saliva. Also, they can climb the trees for nuts and fruits using their sharp claws. 
 
Wolves and Red foxes are the main predators of the species. Eurasian badger competes for food with raccoon dog, and Eurasian lynx, being territorial, can also attack if it tries to enter its den.

Difference Between the Raccoon Dog and the Raccoon ​

Though both are morphologically similar, the raccoon dog and raccoon are entirely dissimilar. Raccoon dogs, also known as tanukis or Japanese raccoon dogs, hail from East Asia and belong to the Canidae family (the family of wolves and foxes). On the other hand, a raccoon is native to North America and belongs to, well, the raccoon family.

Scratching your head if it’s a raccoon or a raccoon dog? Well, it’s a Raccoon (via Unsplash)

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They also have physical differences. The raccoon dog has an elongated torso and short tail. In contrast, a raccoon has a compact torso and a bushy tail. The average life of a raccoon is around three years in the wild compared to a raccoon dog that is well-adaptive to many habitats and lives for seven years.
 
Another important difference is that the raccoon dog hibernates, whereas a raccoon doesn’t. Raccoon dogs start hibernation in November and wake up in March. During hibernation, the average body temperature decreases by 1.4–2.1 C. Sometimes, they wander around or change their den in midwinter if the weather is mild. Raccoon dogs gather large fat reserves in autumn and lose about 43% of their body mass during winter (Singer, 2009).

Raccoon Dogs as Pets

The small, chubby creatures were homed as pets. However, they need large spaces and can be aggressive in cages. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) strongly discourages keeping Raccoon dogs as pets to prevent their wild and aggressive nature. Plus, their glands secrete an extremely stinky smell for communication, which doesn’t make them good pets. The unruly behavior of raccoon dogs in small spaces lead to their abandonment or escape from captivity and expansion in the wild.

Image Source: The Guardian

​Introduction and Invasion in Europe

​A total of 9,100 individuals of the species were introduced outside its native range by Russians to the former Western Soviet Union for fur trade between 1929 and 1955. And later, they deliberately released them into the wild. Because of its flexible and adaptive nature, it is the most successful alien Canidae in Europe. 
 
Currently, they’ve inhabited the Baltic States, Scandinavian States, Northern, Eastern, and Central Europe, some areas of South Eastern, Western and Southern Europe. They continue to spread as far as Germany, Sweden, France, and Italy.
 
The distribution is determined by climate. They can thrive in areas with a mean annual temperature above 0 °C,  and < 80 cm snow cover that lasts < 175 days. Today the northern limit of its permanent distribution lies at the Arctic Circle.

Image Source: AZ Animals

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​Kaarina Kauhala studied the Raccoon dog’s colonization history, successful expansion, and threats to native fauna. The colonization began in Finland in the 1950s because it had no natural predators, i.e., wolves and lynx. Compared to Finland, the population size was small in Estonia, which had numerous lynx and wolves. The first raccoon dogs were reported in Sweden in 1945, in Norway in 1983, in Poland in 1955, in East Germany in 1961/1962, and in northern Italy in 2005 (Kauhala, 2011). 
 
Their success is due to their escape from fur farms, prolific reproduction, plasticity in the diet (omnivore), hibernation in northern areas, and tendency to wander long-distances. The population has expanded at a rate of 40 km per year to as far as 400 km per month (Kauhala, 2011). The raccoon dog has been suspected of causing damage to native fauna through predation, but firm evidence of this is scarce. However, some studies suggest that it has negatively impacted amphibians in Finland.

Image Source: PETA.org

Raccoon Dog and Rabies

​Though the effective vaccination campaigns have successfully eliminated rabies spread by the red fox, its main terrestrial vector in Europe, the raccoon dog has established itself as a second host in Russia, the Baltic state, and Belarus. 
 
The availability of a second vector can worsen disease control and elimination. Also, the role of hibernation in the spread of the disease is unknown. It is hypothesized that hibernation/immobility wouldn’t transmit the virus. However, rabies’ incubation period is prolonged during hibernation in rats. The virus becomes active when the species emerge from hibernation (Singer, 2009). 
 
Researchers from the University of Tartu, Estonia, also found nine zoonotic parasites among raccoon dogs’ carcasses in Estonia that pose a severe health risk. Cases are also reported from Germany. 

Management of Invasive Species

​LIFE+ is the EU’s financial instrument that supports the environmental and nature conservation projects throughout Europe. In 2008, it started a project in its thread LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity aimed at;
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1. Understanding the social behavior of a raccoon dog.
2. Limiting the establishment of the species in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. 
3. Use of GPS transmitters to tag captured animals that lead to the new individuals.
4. Use of innovative methods for species’ hunting and culling, or at least size reduction through Sterilization. 
5. Knowledge dissemination to the public through the internet and International conferences. 

 
The project bred positive results in the identification/capture/cull of the raccoon dogs and declining population in the project countries. 
 
Later, the EU regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species was enforced in 2015 for effective measures. These include the ban on importing/selling/buying them as pets, early detection and rapid eradication, and managing the established populations of invasive alien species at the Union Level. 
 
The fluffy Raccoon dog, inhumanely exploited by the fur industry (particularly in China where raccoon dogs are skinned alive) and adored by people as an exotic pet, has been included on the  list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern in February 2019. The Member States didn’t succumb to the fur industry’s lobbying for its removal from the list. The Humane Society International that drafts the guidelines for managing invasive species in the EU appreciated the inclusion of species in the list.
 
Thus, State-level cooperation for cost-effective management, stringent regulation, innovative methods to control or eliminate the alien invasive species, dissemination of knowledge, and involvement of the public and stakeholders are few strategies that can help beat the global crisis of invasive species. 

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References 
Kaarina KAUHALA, R. K. (2011). Invasion of the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides in Europe: History of colonization, features behind its success, and threats to native fauna. Current Zoology. 
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Singer, A. K., K. Holmala, K. Smith, G. C. (2009). Rabies in northeastern Europe--the threat from invasive raccoon dogs. J Wildl Dis, 45(4), 1121-1137. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-45.4.1121

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Author

Nida Riaz is a freelance blogger based in Pakistan. She started writing about her passion for the environment when the world came to a stop in early 2020.

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