Raccoon dog – Nyctereutes procyonoides

Raccoon dog

The raccoon dog is a medium-sized predator, slightly smaller than the red fox. Its body length varies from 52 to 71 cm, the tail is 15–20 cm, and its weight ranges from around five kilos in the spring to 6–11 kg in the autumn. The animal appears clumsy but, in the summer, its body is fairly slim and legs thin. The raccoon dog has fairly short legs, rounded smallish ears and a typical mask colouring on the head. The black mask extends to its middle of the muzzle and its whiskers are prominent. Its long and thick fur makes the raccoon dog look stout, particularly in winter. The colour of the fur varies considerably, but the main colour is grey or yellowish and the alternating black and grey make some individuals look striped.

The raccoon dog is native to Southeast Asia. It was originally introduced to Finland as a fur animal for farms, but the current natural population originates from individuals that wandered into Finland across the eastern border from the former Soviet Union. From 1929 to 1955, approximately 9,100 individuals of the subspecies N. p. ussurensis were introduced to districts in Russia on the European side. The species has since spread quickly to many European countries. The first individual wandering raccoon dogs were detected in Finland in the 1930s and 1940s, but their actual spread began in the 1950s. By the mid-1970s, raccoon dogs had spread to almost all parts of southern and central Finland. The population remained stable for 10 to 15 years and began to grow again. At present, the raccoon dog is the most common medium-sized predatory mammal across the country, except in northernmost Lapland.

An alien species legislated as invasive in the EU (List of invasive alien species of Union concern)

Raccoon dog has been laid down as an invasive alien species throughout the EU. The species may not be introduced into the EU nor released into the wild, disposed of, bred or cultivated, transported, transferred, passed on, sold, marketed or handed over to anyone.

The raccoon dog is an omnivorous opportunist, able to take advantage of diverse food sources and live in highly diverse habitats affected greatly by human activity. At the early stages of the raccoon dog’s spread in Finland, the notion was prevalent that the species was extremely harmful to native species. However, the results of studies examining the issue have only partially confirmed this notion in Finland. The results obtained are not unambiguous, despite the fact that most studies have been unable to prove that raccoon dogs would affect local species in any major way, with the exception of some local cases. Raccoon dogs have not been proven to compete with any native species, even though such competition would be possible on the basis of the overlapping food range of original, medium-sized predatory mammals. Locally, particularly in island habitats, raccoon dogs have been suspected of affecting local bird species and amphibians through predation. In mainland areas, both studies of nutritional composition and experiments in which predators have been eliminated have tended to negate the harmful impacts of the raccoon dog on game animal species. In some experiments involving the removal of predators, the frequency of certain monitored bird species has even decreased alongside that of raccoon dogs, and increased as the number of raccoon dogs grew. As the nutritional range of raccoon dogs may vary greatly, it is possible that major local differences occur in the impact of raccoon dogs’ predation. Locally, and in particularly sensitive areas, raccoon dogs may pose a danger to certain waterfowl and amphibians. Long-term, intensive regulation of raccoon dog populations may be necessary, particularly in protected areas. Further research on the European scale is urgently needed in order to determine the effects of raccoon dogs on the original range of species.

When examining the risk factors related to the raccoon dog as an alien species, in the light of current scientific knowledge it seems highly probable that the role of the raccoon dog as a carrier and vector of many diseases and parasites will be the key risk and disadvantage posed by the species in ecological and economical terms, both throughout Europe and in the Nordic countries. The most significant health risks related to the raccoon dog in Europe are the rabies virus and parasitic diseases, including echinococcosis (the parasite Echinococcus multilocularis), mange (Sarcoptes scabei) and trichinellosis (Trichinella species), all of which raccoon dogs potentially carry and spread. Of these, mange and trichinellosis occur today both in Finland and other Nordic countries. It has been proven that the increasing density of raccoon dog populations and the expansion of their range in Finland is linked to trichinellosis, which is also found in other species (such as the fox and lynx), becoming more common. Of the potential risks in nearby areas, the parasite E. multilokularis has been found in raccoon dogs in Latvia and foxes in Estonia.

The survival of raccoon dog cubs is linked to issues such as the nutritional situation and their natural mortality is high. In southern Finland, almost 90% of cubs die before the age of 12 months. Only one percent of all raccoon dogs reach the age of 5 years. The main causes of mortality are hunting and traffic. In 2012, the raccoon dog was the second most hunted small game species, involving approximately 144,500 individuals (RKTL 2013). In that year, most raccoon dogs were hunted in Uusimaa and North Savo. Most raccoon dogs, 171,900 individuals, were hunted in 2009 (RKTL, the reference years 2007 to 2012).

The key hunting methods include trapping, carcasses and dogs at nests. Hunting in autumn targets young and migratory individuals in particular, but in late winter and early spring the reproducing part of the population is more clearly targeted. For hunting, as an eradication method, to achieve a visible impact on local raccoon dog densities, it must be annually repeated and intensive, particularly with regard to raccoon dogs. It takes approximately one year for this highly mobile and productive species to offset the benefit achieved from its annual eradication. The raccoon dog is an alien mammal predatory species and should be regarded as a member of the entire range of small predators, when eradicating predators in areas sensitive to predation by prey animals belonging to all three species: the mink, raccoon dog and fox.

Attempts to reduce the risk of rabies due to the raccoon dog include the distribution of bait vaccine twice a year. The occurrence of rabies and the consumption of bait vaccine is monitored on a continuous basis, by studying hunted predators and those found dead. Samples are mainly collected in South-East Finland and North Karelia, where the bait vaccines are distributed.

Koska laji on säädetty haitalliseksi vieraslajiksi, sen maahantuonti, kasvatus, myynti ja muu hallussapito sekä ympäristöön päästäminen on kielletty. 

Ilmoita supikoirahavaintosi vieraslajinisäkkäiden ilmoituslomakkeella.

Supikoiria saa kasvattaa Suomessa edelleen turkistarhausta varten. EU:n komissio on hyväksynyt supikoirien kasvattamisen tähän tarkoitukseen 7.11.2018, ja Etelä-Suomen aluehallintovirasto on myöntänyt kasvattamiseen kansalliset luvat (EU:n vieraslajiasetuksen 9 artikla ja vieraslajilain 7 §)

• Sivusto vieraspedoista ja niiden pyyntitavoista: http://vieraspeto.fi/
• Lisätietoja haitallisten vieraslajien pyynnistä Riistainfossa
• Metsähallitus: Saariston vieraspetopyynti, supikoira.
• Nobanis: Nyctereutes procyonoides
• Sotka-vieraspetohanke

Dahl, F. & Åhlén, PA. 2019. Nest predation by raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides in the archipelago of northern Sweden. Biological Invasions 21:743–755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1855-4

Kauhala, K., Schregel, J. & Auttila, M. 2010. Habitat impact on raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides home range size in southern Finland. Acta Theriologica 55, 371–380. 

Kauhala K & Kowalczyk R. 2011. Invasion of the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides in Europe: history of colonization, features behind its success, and threats to native fauna. Current Zoology 57:584–598Dahl, F. & Åhlén, PA. 2019. Nest predation by raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides in the archipelago of northern Sweden. Biological Invasions 21:743–755.

Mikkola-Roos, M., Nurmi, J. & Väänänen, V.-M. 2005. Tulokaspedot lintuvesillä - minkin ja supikoiran pyynti parantaa kosteikkolintujen poikastuottoa huomattavasti. Metsästäjä 1:20-21. PDF 

Toivonen, P., Toivola, M., Selonen, M. 2025. Ice cover and partner removal increase movements of invasive mesopredator in the coastal island mosaic. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 6, e70068. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70068