Number of raccoon dogs down, but no need to howl
A raccoon in a suburban area.
The density and encounter rate of raccoon dogs, native to residential complexes in suburban districts of Shanghai, has both dramatically dropped this year, according to investigations by city residents.
Traces of raccoon dog activity have been spotted in 40 residential complexes, or 44.4 percent of surveyed ones in Songjiang, Minhang and Qingpu districts, based on this year's raccoon dog population investigations, almost equal to the result of last year, a report revealed on Sunday.
But the average population density of the animal is 0.43 per hectare, compared with 1.08 per hectare last year, posing a 60.2 percent decrease.
The density ranged between 0.07 and 1.66 per hectare among the 40 residential complexes.
Meanwhile, the average encounter rate of the animal dropped 58.9 percent from last year.
"Proper feeding and improved wet trash management were behind this," said Wang Fang, a researcher at Fudan University's School of Life Sciences, head of the team.
The feeding of cats and overflow of wet garbage will spark an abnormal increase of raccoon dogs, which will hit an estimated 300 percent increase in population if both happen, he added.
"Overall, the drop of density and encounter rate of the animal is a positive change, which reflected the possibility of long-term harmonious co-existence of wildlife and urban residents," said Wang.
"It means fewer conflicts with human and better life for the animal. The risk of infectious diseases among them resulting from high density will be cut as well."
A raccoon.
This year's investigations involved the participation of 302 resident volunteers under a program involving the mass public, with participants called "citizen scientists." The investigation extended nearly 500 kilometers.
They recorded the number, behavior, and health conditions of the animals based on observations as well as the cat feed and waste management situation of residential communities.
The city was once home to a variety of mammals such as rassies, raccoon dogs, river deer, badgers and yellow weasels. Many natural habitats of these animals have been lost to urban construction, threatening the survival of some species.
"Raccoon dogs, however, have adapted to the urban environment with the number rapidly increasing due to constantly expanded living spaces," said Wang.
Between 2020 and 2022, the number of raccoon dogs surged in the city, and the explosive increase even triggered conflicts between the animal and human.
Raccoon dogs once hit the headlines after a resident in Songjiang District claimed one of the animals bit his pet dog.
Following the complaint, many people living in the complex voiced their concerns, mostly about what they perceived as a threat to children and the elderly.
Since 2019, a program was launched by the Shanghai Forestry Station, a conservation biology research team at Fudan University and the Shan Shui Conservation Center.
It focuses on the research and protection of raccoon dogs, and the improvement of biological diversity. Various methods such as on-site visits, monitoring of infrared cameras, the analysis of food habits, and GPS tracking are undertaken.
A science popularization promotion campaign has been launched by authorities and the team across the city since last year. It has called on the public to cut feeding, and enhance management of wet waste to control the density of the animal population and promote the sustainable development of the population in the city.
"The best ratio of raccoon dogs spotted in residential complexes should be one or two times of that seen in the wild, compared with three to five times at present," said Wang. "The number can be controlled if residents stop feeding and enable them to get food from nature."
