Photographer Captures Mesmerising Close-Up Video Of Raccoon Dog

A mesmerising video of a raccoon dog against a white snowy backdrop is raking in likes. The undated video was taken by wildlife photographer Elias Kalliola. In the short but stunning video, the raccoon dog slowly turns its head and stares directly into the camera. It was recently posted on Instagram with a caption, “A rare Racoon dog has been captured by a photographer in the wild. These creatures are rarely seen because they come out at night and are habited in remote places.⁠” So far, the video has garnered over 10,000 likes.

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Commenting on it, an Instagram user wrote, “Wow! Stunning.” Another person wrote, “I never saw one before. Thanks!” However, many people were less impressed with the clip, as they argued that raccoon dogs have become a common sight. Making this point, an Instagram user wrote, “Not really rare. If you live in the countryside, try to find food from open compost.” Another person wrote, “Those are so common in Finland, that they are pretty much of an annoyance already. They used to pay for you to kill them in the 90’s.”

As their name suggests, raccoon dogs are a wild species of dogs that look like raccoons. They are a part of the canid family and have thick fur markings and head shapes similar to raccoons.

They are native to East Asian countries like China, Korea, and Japan. However, the fur farming industry in the 1920s introduced them across the former Soviet Union and now they are spread across northern and western Europe and parts of Central Asia. They are considered an invasive species in many places other than East Asia.

What makes raccoon dogs interesting is that they are more closely related to foxes as opposed to domesticated dogs. Despite their cute appearance, they are not well suited for being pets. As per the UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, raccoon dogs need a large home range and hence do not do well in small domesticated enclosures. Additionally, raccoon dogs emit potent smells as they use scent to communicate. This odor makes them unsuitable indoors.

Raccoon dogs are omnivorous and nocturnal, meaning they are rarely seen during daylight. However, thanks to increasing urbanisation they are learning to adapt to urban landscape and can often be found scavenging for food from trash piles in cities. Their population is also on the rise in countries like China and Japan.