Racoon dog exhibit

I know practically nothing about racoon dogs. It is a species not native to Scandinavia but it now lives in the wild here thanks to escapes from those devilish fur farm concentration camps. I do not know if this has had any effect on the local fauna.

Two enclosures, each one about 250 sq. meters big. A mother with litter in one of them. Cute little fellows - I spent a lot time watching them.

They are lovely, pity more zoo's don't keep them so the public have a better idea of what happens to them......

They do indeed have a bad effect on the local fauna. I am not sure how widely spread they are in Sweden but in Denmark they have begun to establish a wild population in the south western parts of the country. It is allowed to shoot them at all times. The local hunters are even encouraged to shoot any racoon dog that they see.

Our worst mammal-problem though is still mink...

Toddy,
What do they eat or destroy in there new homes in Denmark?

There are a couple of problems connected to racoon dogs in the Danish wilderness:

1. It is a serous competitor for food and territory for the native red foxes and badgers.

2. Small birds and mammals on which the racoon dogs feed in Denmark are not acustomed to dealing with this predator and thus makes easy meals.

3. Racoon dogs may carry rabies and other diseases dangerous to the native wildlife.

OK, then I see the problem for a small sized country like Denmark, the problem for me is I like these creatures alot and it's not really their fault that they find themselves where they are.
It seems that they can make a good home for themselves in Northern Europe and who knows maybe they already lived there in the past before being wiped out (I don't know this for sure, just a guess), so what is the soloution for them?
Surely in Russia and the far north of Finland , Sweden and Norway there is a place for them?

I understand what you say about them competing with local wildlife, but I don't like the idea of them just being shot like vermin considering the hell that they escaped from.

They already inhabit Northeastern Russia where they naturally belong. I too am fond of these creatures, but only in zoos/wildlife parks and in their natural habitat. They have no place in Europe and the sollution is, unfortunately, extermination. It is not worth it to perhaps loose several endangered native species just because we like racoon dogs. They also have plenty of space in their natural habitat and are not endangered in any way.

Racoon dogs are not a serious problem yet but they could become so. The mink in Denmark is an example of the damage done by invasive species. We have several mink farms in Denmark. I do not agree with this method of keeping minks but the animal activists here, as well as in a lot of other countries, makes the grave mistake of releasing them into "freedom", that is to say the Danish nature. The wildlife in Denmark has no escape from the mink which is now the only predator we have that hunts on land, in the trees and in the water. It is a serious competitor for other predators (such as the European otter) and kills loads of wildlife. It is estimated that 80.000 minks live in the Danish wilderness killing of about 40 tons of Danish fauna EVERY DAY.

Toddy,
I see and understand the problem.

Maybe the best idea is as you say just keep these lovely looking animals in zoo's only in Europe and explain to people what happens to them and educate people that the creature in front of them is more often than not turned into a coat, or maybe they will become endangered if certain countries keep killing animals for profit and greed.

Mink is a problem here in the UK so I know what you are saying, but it doesn't seen to make news here anymore.

It does not make news in Denmark either at the moment, but unfortunately, that does not stop them from being here and following their nature (killing). The problem is that the activists who release them just don't consider the major consequences

One of the very best aquaria I have ever been to is the AQUA Freshwater Aquarium in Denmark. The specialise in native wildlife and has a major theme about invasive species in Denmark (mink, racoon, racoon dog and nutria are the major ones). It is a great aquarium and does a lot of conservation work in Denmark especially for wildlife living in and around lakes, rivers and wetlands as well as conserving the biotopes themselves