Sad end of young raccoon dogs
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Raccoon dog carcass on road
Raccoon dog Kährik or kährikkoer Nyctereutes procyonoides
A common sight on our roads from late summer onwards. Under the car wheels largely young raccoon dog pups from this spring are killed. They are by now about 3 ½ months old.
Why does this happen?
Firstly we have many raccoon dogs – there is a saying, ”If you notice one raccoon there must be ten in the neighbourhood”. Towards autumn the young raccoon dogs must look for a territory of their own and so must, willingly or not, cross roads, but on the roads also food in the shape of traffic victims can easily be found …
How do raccoon dogs behave in the forest in case of danger? They lie down and pretend to be dead – probably this behaviour can save them because in a larger predator the hunting urge simply is not activated in such a case. On a night-time road, with car lights approaching, the same instinctive behaviour however leads to an unintended “suicide”.
Why are raccoon dog carcasses lying about on the roads?
At night foxes and other predators clean up their ”territories” from edible matter, carrying it to a safer place for eating or hiding it. At early light the ”road sanitaries” are in place – crows and magpies - but they too are seldom seen fighting over a raccoon dog carcass. Raccoon dogs stink, but birds do not find this off-putting in other carrion. So far it is not clear why raccoon dogs are not particularly liked as food. But in case of hunger everything found in nature is utilised.
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