Invasion of the raccoon dog
An aggressive invader is making its way to Norway.
The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is a mammal native to East Asia
that was deliberately introduced to the former Soviet Union in the early to mid- 20th century, and to Latvia in 1948.
Raccoon dogs are now spreading rapidly throughout Europe, often travelling long distances
to colonize new areas. Although there are estimated to be fewer than 50 of these animals in Norway, NTNU researchers have fitted raccoon dogs with radio transmitters to study their movements and behaviour.
The raccoon dog is a carnivorous mammal that is well suited to survive in Norway’s harsh
environment. It thrives best in lowland wetlands, where it can feed on frogs and compete with red foxes and badgers for food. The raccoon dog is on the Norwegian Black List of invasive species and is considered to pose an extremely high risk to the environment.