Living Hell...On these fur farms, foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire cages, exposed to driving rain, freezing nights, and, at other times, scorching sun. Mother animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters. Disease and injuries are widespread, and animals suffering from anxiety-induced psychosis chew on their own limbs and throw themselves repeatedly against the cage bars.(Range and Habitat)
The raccoon dog ranges in the wooded areas of western Europe, Russia, China, and Japan. They are native to south-eastern Siberia, Manchuria, northern Indo-China, China and Japan. They were introduced to western Russia, mainly for hunting purposes, and have since spread from Russia to Scandinavia, Germany, and France.(Physical Appearance)
The raccoon dog, also know as the tanuki throughout much of its range, is perhaps one of the most unusual canids in the world. It is a dog that for all argument looks just like a raccoon, raccoon markings and body structure in all. This is where the species name, procyonoides, comes from; Procyon is the scientific name for raccoon. It has a very thick body, stout legs, small rounded ears, and bushy tail. Their thick, short fur is a grizzled grey in color, with dark areas around the eyes, the legs and the tip of the tail, and lighter areas on the muzzle and underneath their tail. The canine teeth are small, so most of their chewing is done throught the molars. Raccoon dogs have no close living relatives in the dog family, though they show both behavioral and anatomical links to the bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis). Their brain is less developed than other canids.(Diet)
Their diet depends on where they live and and the season. They are omnivorous, and will eat just about anything they can find, from rodents, lizards, frogs, ground birds, seeds, fruit, berries, insects, and spiders. They are able to eat toxic frogs and toads. They cannot eat larger prey due to weak dental structure; the teeth of raccoon dogs are very small in comparison to other canids. Also, their carnassials are weaker, but they have more developed molars for chewing plant matter.(Social Behavior)
Raccoon dogs have a distinct seasonal pattern. With the approach of autumn, they put on up to 10lbs. of extra weight. At the first sign of winter, they retreat to a burrow and stay there, asleep, throughout the winter, living off their fat stores. This period lasts from November to April. They do not hibernate during this period, because during periods of mild winter weather they will emerge from their dens to feed, and in the milder southern parts of their range they may not sleep in burrows during the winter at all.
Raccoon dogs are primarily nocturnal, and they start to hunt for their food after sunset, taking a break at around midnight. They are rarely seen during the daytime. On their search for food, they can cover up to 12 miles in one night. In areas where they live along the shoreline, they hunt on the beach at night for shellfish and carrion washed ashore by the tides.Raccoon dogs keep large territories that can range from 20-104 square km. They do appear to be territorial, as home ranges often overlap. Within their territories, they establish latrines, which are used regularly. They are very conspicuous, and are thought to be used as a territorial marker. Unlike other canids, the raccoon dog cannot bark, but they can make other noises, so their presence is not often known. One unusual aspect of the raccoon dog communication is that they will arch their tail in an upside down "U" shape as an assertion of dominance. An unusual aspect of their communication is that they do not bark.What if this could happen to you, would you care then????..
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