Raccoon Dog - I Love You, Dog
Raccoon Dog. Family of Dogs.
Introduced from the Far East and North America in 1934. Initially, it was brought to nut forests and to Susamyr, but for the same reason as the raccoon, it completely disappeared from these areas. Finally, in 1945, one and a half dozen raccoon dogs were released into the sea buckthorn thickets (dzherganaka) along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. The conditions here turned out to be better: plenty of food and shallow snow. The very fact of successful acclimatization on the shores of Issyk-Kul is interesting.
Its homeland is the Ussuri region. In Kyrgyzstan, there are few places suitable for its habitat, as it requires marshy lands with thickets of shrubs and reeds, and in winter — shallow snow. It has relatively short legs and a short fluffy tail, a sharp snout, and small ears. It inhabits marshy overgrown areas.
In winter, these animals hibernate, but in our conditions, not for long; they often wake up in the middle of winter, wandering in search of food, which is facilitated by the light snow. By the end of February, they fully awaken and begin to breed. The young are born in May, usually 5-6 at a time. By autumn, they grow to the size of adults. Young raccoon dogs are very calm in their first year of life. A captured animal can be handled by hand; it does not bite or run away. However, older males can be quite aggressive.
On the northern shore of Issyk-Kul, raccoon dog tracks are often found in the sand, mud, and in winter on the snow, but the animals themselves are hard to spot. After wandering at night, they rest during the day in dense thickets, which can only be accessed with difficulty by a dog.
The raccoon dog is primarily active at dusk and at night. In terms of foraging, it is a typical gatherer, exploring various secluded places in search of food. It often wanders along the shallow waters of forest water bodies or along the sea coast. During one hunt in warm weather, it can cover up to 7-10 km, but in the snow, it struggles due to its short legs.
It is omnivorous. It feeds on both animal and plant foods: in summer — on mouse-like rodents, birds and their eggs, frogs, beetles; in autumn — on oats, berries, fallen fruits, etc. It does not shy away from carrion, rotten fish, and food scraps. By winter, raccoon dogs fatten up, increasing their weight by 2 kg or more, and then hibernate.
Raccoon dogs live in pairs. They form pairs as early as October-November, so the mating season in February-April is rarely accompanied by fights between males. The gestation period lasts about 60 days. The litter consists of 6-8 puppies, with a maximum of up to 14-16. The female's fertility greatly depends on her condition and weather conditions. Both parents participate in raising the puppies. The young grow quickly and reach adult sizes by the end of autumn.
Sexual maturity occurs at 8-10 months. The lifespan is 3-4 years in the wild and 15 years in captivity.
Red Book
