TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
October 6, 2017 at 11:00 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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Raccoon dogs love a sitting duck. And a small video camera planted in the ground of their home with its lens sticking out is the kind of target they cannot resist.
One of the youngsters of the raccoon dog family at the Kiryugaoka Amusement Park and Zoo charged up, snapped up the camera in its teeth and ran off with it. It was as if the animal had captured delicious prey.
These animals are supposed to be nocturnal and timid by nature, but the ones at this zoological park in Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, are anything but. They are also overtly friendly, according to zookeeper Chiho Yamashita, 21.
The park is home to the raccoon dog family of 12, including seven pups born in late May and their two more mature siblings.
The pups are not afraid of people, most likely because they can see that their mother, Ponko, is comfortable among the big apes. Not only that, she was raised by humans.
The father, Ponjiro, on the other hand, was taken from the wild and still keeps his distance--although he appears to enjoy child-rearing, Yamashita said.
The Japanese raccoon dog is a canid and omnivorous. It lives on the main Honshu island, while “ezo-tanuki,” or the Hokkaido raccoon dog, lives on the big island up north.
The Japanese raccoon dog is slim in the summer months, but then it starts to store fat and becomes plump to prepare for the winter months when there is less food available. It does not hibernate.
It grows black fur shortly after it is born and looks similar to a bear cub, according to Yamashita.
The naughty "kid" who nabbed the camera later stashed it in his hiding place, where it was found undamaged. Footage from the camera makes the viewer feel like it is the prey about to be served up for dinner at the raccoon dog "kitchen."
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