Raccoon dogs posing a threat to UK

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/457491/The-angel-faced-devil-dog

Not actually dogs, but people are treating them like dogs.   When will people learn that wild animals belong in their native wild habitat? Not in houses or kennels and not wandering around the wild in a foreign country.

Never heard of them before! Are they rodents? Heaven forbid that we get packs of spaniel-sized rats running around - grey squirrels are bad enough.

They're in the same family as dogs, wolves, foxes, etc. (canids). Can't really describe their similarity to any other animals, as they're a species on their own. It's a basal species (and genus, as the raccoon dog is the only species in its genus), so it has a very close resemblance to its canidae ancestors. They're definitely not rodents. They actually eat rodents as well as fruits, veg, seeds, etc.!

They're definitely not a good invasive species to have in the UK though (not that any invasive species is). They can carry canine distemper, as well as fleas and ticks.

Thank you Eleanor. Doggy, wolfy, foxy things then - but more horrible.

Lovely as long as people leave them in their native countries!

Such pretty things, but a real danger to the countryside!

I wish people could just learn to appreciate the beauty of an animal, without taking it out of its natural habitat.