‘The first wild raccoon dog reaches Amsterdam,’ was the headline NRC in February 2024. The raccoon dog has officially set foot in the ring – and like most mammals, there is a good chance that it will stay there. What does this originally East Asian animal do in the Low Countries? And can his presence do any harm?
What is the difference between a raccoon and a raccoon dog?
Although its name suggests otherwise, the raccoon dog is not related to the raccoon. Nyctereutes procyonoides is a predator from the canid family and is also called marten dog. An adult animal is about the size of a fox and has a dog-like appearance with its short legs and stocky, fluffy body.
Its broad, black-masked head is strongly reminiscent of a raccoon, although the animal otherwise looks nothing like it. For example, the raccoon dog lacks the grabby hands with which a raccoon collects its food, and it is also not nearly as adept at digging as its near-namesake.
Where does the raccoon dog come from?
In Belgium and the Netherlands, the raccoon dog is an invasive exotic species: an animal that should not actually occur here. The raccoon dog is native to East Asia, where it lives from the extreme southeast of Siberia to Vietnam. In Japan, the raccoon dog has even played a leading role in ancient folklore. The mythical, humanoid raccoon dog becomes one in such stories tanuki mentioned, and is very naughty, likes to drink and party and likes to drum on his – be warned – very enlarged scrotum. Figurines of tanuki can be found in restaurants and homes throughout Japan. They apparently bring luck.
In the 1930s, the first raccoon dogs escaped from fur farms in Eastern Europe: a notorious route through which many other exotic species – such as the muskrat, the coypu and the red coati – also ended up on European soil. In 1981, a raccoon dog was spotted in the Netherlands for the first time. From 1986 onwards observations were added in East Flanders and Antwerp.
Just as it applies to many other invasive exotic species: the raccoon dog can be hunted. It is not possible to say with certainty exactly how many specimens remain in the Low Countries today. However, it is expected that there will be more and more in the coming years.
Is the raccoon dog dangerous?
The raccoon dog is a nocturnal animal that, like the raccoon, feeds on just about anything in its path – from fruits and nuts to rodents and fish. Due to its presence in the Netherlands and Belgium, it competes for food with other native predators.
The arrival of the raccoon dog is also worrying for prey animals. For example, it poses a danger to many meadow birds, because they breed on the ground. Eggs and young birds could easily end up on the raccoon dog’s menu. Fortunately, the raccoon dog is not dangerous to humans. Despite their rather exaggerated masculinity in Japanese mythology, the animals are extremely shy of people and terrified of dogs and cats.
Merav Pront is a digital editor at National Geographic and also regularly writes for the magazine. During her studies in human geography, she learned to place local phenomena in an international context. As a freelance journalist, she looks for the small stories behind the big news. She writes for the VPRO and the National Holocaust Museum, among others.
