Common raccoon dog: Difference between revisions
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===Rocawear incident=== |
===Rocawear incident=== |
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The Humane Society of the United States launched an investigation into one of the jackets manufactured for the rapper Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing line, and discovered it contains real fur from a raccoon dog. The organization claims the raccoon dogs, which are indigenous to Asia, are skinned alive for their coats.[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=12712] |
The Humane Society of the United States launched an investigation into one of the jackets manufactured for the rapper Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing line, and discovered it contains real fur from a raccoon dog. The organization claims the raccoon dogs, which are indigenous to Asia, are skinned alive for their coats.[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=12712] |
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===Fur, Raccoon Dog and Incentive Conservation=== |
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However while there may indeed be ethical questions over welfare in China, The chinese government have claimed that there are welfare laws in place that could prosecute such offences. |
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They claim that evidence produced by AR groups have been staged, as the makers have not come forward to give evidence that particular farms are at fault. This is the Official Chinese government response to the "fun fur" reference: http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cech/fra/xwss/t185842.htm |
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In fact, the continued existence and survival of the Racoon Dog in the Siberian forest, and its spread beyond, has hundreds if not thousands of years of fur trade to thank. The Boreal forest with all its wildlife thrive because the indigenous peoples have used them carefully as a resource. Only recently with habitat destruction through communist and western expansion for oil and logging caused problems to indigenous wildlife(ironic that the world boom in mass disposable synthetic clothing has caused strain for further petro chemical expansion into these regions). Many indigenous peoples, reliant on caribou herding and fur farming, whose traditional way of life protects the wilderness habitats of the sub arctic siberia, are fighting an unseen battle against the real enemy of habitat for such animals not just as the raccoon dog but also the Siberian Tiger: |
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http://www.survival-international.org/news.php?country_id=13 |
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Ironic that peoples in this area have been hunting and using fur, and trading in it as long ago as 28-38 000 years ago at which time they were (unexpected by historians) the most advanced civilisations on the planet, are now considered "unethical": http://dl1.yukoncollege.yk.ca/agraham/discuss/msgReader$3732 and |
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http://donsmaps.com/sungaea.html |
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So perhaps up to 40 000 years of fur trade in this region and the result is that where such lifestyle survives many animals thrive. Only recently, ironically with advancement of "western" ethical civilisation and their search for "non" renewable resources alternative to animals is there suddenly a problem. |
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IF the raccoon dog...and indeed the Tiger (which is not hunted by the indigenous fur trade) survives, it will be becasue of the fur trade not in spite off it.It is as a result of such new thinking that the WWF have established traditional use sable reserves.http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=13895 |
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While there may indeed be welfare issues in the way in which they are killed on Chinese farms this does not negate the fact that if furbearers are to produce good quality fur there is no mileage in treating them badly: stress equals fur loss. In fact, politically censored, a recent report by EEC animal wefare scientists found fur farming to be of relatively high standards in comparison with other animals farming particularly in relation to good weaning practice: http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scah/out74_en.pdf This is the report of the Scientists after it had origianlly been "doctored" for political end by "forces unknown" in Brussels. So if fur farming at least needn't be cruel, and meat is hardly any more necessary than fur, questions arise as to why the fur trade is being persecuted in this fashion. Certainly new Incentive Conservation theory suggests that the fur trade (80% of furs are produced in the North, and 22% by aboriginal peoples whose economy is almost solely based on fur)is actually a great ally of Conservation. One thing for sure, with China even having an alleged 1.5 million raccoon dogs for fur trade, their gene pool is NOT endangered. The same cannot sadly be said for the south american wild chinchilla where coffee plantation has replaced thousands of years of fur trade and made them as a result an endangered species. Academic references on the benefits of fur tarde and hunting in the Siberian forests...including Raccoon dog sable fox etc...can be found here: http://www.traffic.org/content/293.pdf |
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It is worth remembering in any ethical thought on the future of the racoon dog and fur trade, that mink and fox are the most common mammal predators on the planet, and at the same time the most commonly hunted and used for fur for thousands of years. And new evidence about fur farming placing the activity not as a modern one but as long agao as 1000 years bc also must call into question the notion of unsuitability of certaion "wild" species to domestication:http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/002167.html . With also the emergence of the climate change end of the ice age theory and the absolution of Clovis people from overkill, we must start to question our relationship with animals. It is beginning to appear that if we need them, we protect them. 30 years of CITES laws have failed to protect some of our most endangered species because just because fur and ivory are not used, does not protect them from habitat change and poor but seemingly beingn wildlife management. |
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Eugene Lapointe, former Director of CITES, are among those questioning the idea of Animal Rights ideas and how they may be counter productive to Conservation goals:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6091848.stm |
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So possibly for the Raccon Dog to have a future; it can also be argued that so does the trade in fur of the fascinating animal. |
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By the same token, groups advocating Animal Rights, have in the light of recent events, have themselves some clear ethical questions to answer before throwing stones at the raccon dog fur trade. Remember, unlike the Raccoon Dog, which has for many thousands of years been used for fur trade, the dog is a domestic companion animal, and appears to be common practice to kill for ideological and financial policy alone for Animal groups when people expect them to be rehoming them: |
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http://www.petakillsanimals.com/petaTrial2.cfm |
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The accusation that over hunting and fur trade has caused decline in Raccoon dog populations may well be without any proof. More likely culprits for where this has happened are more likely diseases like distemper. One other creature who may have been completely eradicated by such a disease is the Tasmanian Wolf; evidence for overhunt theory being remarkably slim when few of the $100 (a huge amount of money then) bounties on the animal were ever claimed by farmers. Hunting and fur being blamed for such eco disasters often do not hold water on close inspection and probably owe more to Christian, Marxist and now Animal Rights ideologies prejudiced against Hunting societies regarded as "unenlightened". The new Conservation ideas are rapidly gaining credibility in re evaluating fur and hunting as good conservation practice.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_movement |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 19:46, 25 February 2007
- This article deals with the wild animal; see tanuki for this animal in Japanese folklore and popular culture.
| Raccoon Dog | |
|---|---|
| |
| Two raccoon dogs | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | Temminck, 1839
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| Species: | N. procyonoides
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| Binomial name | |
| Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834)
| |
The Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides "nycto-" = Gr. "night," "ereutes" = Gr. "wanderer," "procyon" = "raccoon," "-oides" = Gr. "-oid") is a member of the canidae family (which includes dogs, wolves, and foxes) and is indigenous to east Asia. It is not a true dog, and is the only extant species in its genus Nyctereutes. It is named for its superficial resemblance to the non-canid raccoon. The animal carries historical and cultural significance in Japan, where it is called tanuki, usually translated as "badger".
Raccoon Dogs are native to Japan, southeastern Siberia and Manchuria. Between 1929 and 1955, they were introduced to the European part of the Soviet Union and have spread rapidly since. They are now abundant throughout Scandinavia and the Baltic states, and have been reported as far as France and Italy[1]. Average adult head and body length is about 65 cm (2 ft) and weight ranges from 4 to 10 kg (9 to 22 lb). Average litters consist of 5 pups. Longevity is 3–4 years in the wild and up to 11 years in captivity. They are found in both plains and mountainous regions and are especially common in woodlands. Raccoon Dogs are commonly seen near villages and in rural areas.
Raccoon Dog populations have declined in recent years[citation needed] due to hunting, fur trade [2] and fur trapping, urbanization, an increase of animals associated with human civilization such as pets and abandoned animals, and diseases that may be transmitted between them.
Classification
There is some debate in the scientific community regarding speciation between the Siberian subspecies (N. p. ussuriensis), Chinese subspecies (N. p. procyonoides) and the Japanese Raccoon Dog subspecies (N. p. viverrinus) in that due to chromosome[3], behavioral and weight differences, the Japanese Raccoon Dog should be considered a separate species from the two other subspecies.[citation needed]
Behavior
Like many other canines, they are omnivorous. However, their diets are atypically diverse, consisting of invertebrates, frogs, lizards, rodents and birds along with seeds and berries. Those living near the ocean will also eat crabs and scavenged marine life.
Raccoon Dogs are secretive and not very aggressive; they prefer to hide or scream rather than fight, and play dead to avoid predators. They are monogamous; some fights occur between males for the females. Mating season begins when Raccoon Dogs emerge from their burrows. The female is in heat for about six days. The baculum tie in coitus lasts about six minutes, shorter than other canids. When the cubs are born after a gestation of about 60 days, the male will assist in cub-rearing, first by providing food to his mate and then also for the cubs when they are weaned, about 50 days after birth. The young are physically and sexually mature after one year.
The Raccoon Dog is the only canid to go into torpor through the winter months. It is also unusual in that its curved claws enable it to climb trees; the only other canid with this ability is the gray fox. It does not bark and it turns its tail into an inverted U to express dominance. The brain of the Raccoon Dog is poorly developed compared to dogs and wolves and its teeth are small.
Use for fur
An investigation [4]by three animal protection groups into the Chinese fur trade in 2004 and part of 2005 asserts that there are an estimated 1.5 million raccoon dogs being raised for fur in China. The report claims that killing methods include first hitting the animals on the head with a stick or slamming the animal into the ground to stun them, but that "a significant number of animals remain fully conscious during the skinning process and started to writhe and move around." [5] Video taken during the investigation [6] shows a raccoon dog apparently conscious during and after the skinning process. A 2005 follow-up article by the Beijing News [7] reports: "On this particular day around half the raccoon dogs and foxes were skinned alive like this."
Sean John incident
On 22 December 2006, fur-hooded jackets made by the Sean John clothing company were pulled off the shelves of Macy's Department Stores when the nation’s largest animal protection organization concluded that the garments were actually made from raccoon dog. Previously advertised as a faux fur product, they were later identified. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, added that the issue is an “industry-wide problem” and its investigation demonstrated that retailers and designers “aren’t paying close enough attention to the fur trim they are selling.”[8]
Rocawear incident
The Humane Society of the United States launched an investigation into one of the jackets manufactured for the rapper Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing line, and discovered it contains real fur from a raccoon dog. The organization claims the raccoon dogs, which are indigenous to Asia, are skinned alive for their coats.[9]
Fur, Raccoon Dog and Incentive Conservation
However while there may indeed be ethical questions over welfare in China, The chinese government have claimed that there are welfare laws in place that could prosecute such offences. They claim that evidence produced by AR groups have been staged, as the makers have not come forward to give evidence that particular farms are at fault. This is the Official Chinese government response to the "fun fur" reference: http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cech/fra/xwss/t185842.htm
In fact, the continued existence and survival of the Racoon Dog in the Siberian forest, and its spread beyond, has hundreds if not thousands of years of fur trade to thank. The Boreal forest with all its wildlife thrive because the indigenous peoples have used them carefully as a resource. Only recently with habitat destruction through communist and western expansion for oil and logging caused problems to indigenous wildlife(ironic that the world boom in mass disposable synthetic clothing has caused strain for further petro chemical expansion into these regions). Many indigenous peoples, reliant on caribou herding and fur farming, whose traditional way of life protects the wilderness habitats of the sub arctic siberia, are fighting an unseen battle against the real enemy of habitat for such animals not just as the raccoon dog but also the Siberian Tiger: http://www.survival-international.org/news.php?country_id=13
Ironic that peoples in this area have been hunting and using fur, and trading in it as long ago as 28-38 000 years ago at which time they were (unexpected by historians) the most advanced civilisations on the planet, are now considered "unethical": http://dl1.yukoncollege.yk.ca/agraham/discuss/msgReader$3732 and http://donsmaps.com/sungaea.html
So perhaps up to 40 000 years of fur trade in this region and the result is that where such lifestyle survives many animals thrive. Only recently, ironically with advancement of "western" ethical civilisation and their search for "non" renewable resources alternative to animals is there suddenly a problem.
IF the raccoon dog...and indeed the Tiger (which is not hunted by the indigenous fur trade) survives, it will be becasue of the fur trade not in spite off it.It is as a result of such new thinking that the WWF have established traditional use sable reserves.http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=13895
While there may indeed be welfare issues in the way in which they are killed on Chinese farms this does not negate the fact that if furbearers are to produce good quality fur there is no mileage in treating them badly: stress equals fur loss. In fact, politically censored, a recent report by EEC animal wefare scientists found fur farming to be of relatively high standards in comparison with other animals farming particularly in relation to good weaning practice: http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scah/out74_en.pdf This is the report of the Scientists after it had origianlly been "doctored" for political end by "forces unknown" in Brussels. So if fur farming at least needn't be cruel, and meat is hardly any more necessary than fur, questions arise as to why the fur trade is being persecuted in this fashion. Certainly new Incentive Conservation theory suggests that the fur trade (80% of furs are produced in the North, and 22% by aboriginal peoples whose economy is almost solely based on fur)is actually a great ally of Conservation. One thing for sure, with China even having an alleged 1.5 million raccoon dogs for fur trade, their gene pool is NOT endangered. The same cannot sadly be said for the south american wild chinchilla where coffee plantation has replaced thousands of years of fur trade and made them as a result an endangered species. Academic references on the benefits of fur tarde and hunting in the Siberian forests...including Raccoon dog sable fox etc...can be found here: http://www.traffic.org/content/293.pdf
It is worth remembering in any ethical thought on the future of the racoon dog and fur trade, that mink and fox are the most common mammal predators on the planet, and at the same time the most commonly hunted and used for fur for thousands of years. And new evidence about fur farming placing the activity not as a modern one but as long agao as 1000 years bc also must call into question the notion of unsuitability of certaion "wild" species to domestication:http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/002167.html . With also the emergence of the climate change end of the ice age theory and the absolution of Clovis people from overkill, we must start to question our relationship with animals. It is beginning to appear that if we need them, we protect them. 30 years of CITES laws have failed to protect some of our most endangered species because just because fur and ivory are not used, does not protect them from habitat change and poor but seemingly beingn wildlife management.
Eugene Lapointe, former Director of CITES, are among those questioning the idea of Animal Rights ideas and how they may be counter productive to Conservation goals:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6091848.stm So possibly for the Raccon Dog to have a future; it can also be argued that so does the trade in fur of the fascinating animal.
By the same token, groups advocating Animal Rights, have in the light of recent events, have themselves some clear ethical questions to answer before throwing stones at the raccon dog fur trade. Remember, unlike the Raccoon Dog, which has for many thousands of years been used for fur trade, the dog is a domestic companion animal, and appears to be common practice to kill for ideological and financial policy alone for Animal groups when people expect them to be rehoming them: http://www.petakillsanimals.com/petaTrial2.cfm
The accusation that over hunting and fur trade has caused decline in Raccoon dog populations may well be without any proof. More likely culprits for where this has happened are more likely diseases like distemper. One other creature who may have been completely eradicated by such a disease is the Tasmanian Wolf; evidence for overhunt theory being remarkably slim when few of the $100 (a huge amount of money then) bounties on the animal were ever claimed by farmers. Hunting and fur being blamed for such eco disasters often do not hold water on close inspection and probably owe more to Christian, Marxist and now Animal Rights ideologies prejudiced against Hunting societies regarded as "unenlightened". The new Conservation ideas are rapidly gaining credibility in re evaluating fur and hunting as good conservation practice.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_movement
References
- Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of concern
- "Nyctereutes procyonoides". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 23 March.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - The character Hachiemon from the popular T.V series InuYasha.
- 1http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061222/ap_on_bi_ge/macy_s_dog_fur_1
- Article: "Sean John jackets were made with dog fur", 22 December 2006, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16329355/?GT1=8816.
- Fun Fur: A Report on the Chinese Fur Industry by Hsieh-Yi, Yi-Chiao, Yu Fu, Mark Rissi and Dr Barbara Maas. Swiss Animal Protection, Care for the Wild International, East International. [10]
- Fun Fur: A Film by Mark Rissi [11]
- The Slaughter behind 200-million-yuan Revenue from Fur. The Beijing News. Translation.[12]
External links
- World Conservation Union - article on raccoon dogs
- America Zoo - basic info, one image
- Lioncrusher's Domain - detailed information, image
- canids.org - technical and conservation information
- Lauri Sippu's page - many images
- BBC - very basic information with images
- Animal Planet - basic information, image
- Foundation TV's "Brilliant Creatures" - a pair of on-camera raccoon dogs
- Nyctereutes abdeslami - information on another extinct species of its genus
- http://www.hsus.org/furfree/news/sean_john_diddy_combs_mislabeled_fur.html Humane Society of the United States investigation page about Sean John raccoon dog fur jacket.
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=12712 Jay-Z Caught Up in Faux Fur Fraud