Meet the raccoon dog

We also spotted a racoon dog (positively identified!). We had never heard of this animal and enjoyed watching it at the edge of the vineyard.

Jon and Marie BASFORD, Mayenne

The raccoon dog (which is unrelated to an actual raccoon, called un raton laveur), is indiginous to East Asia. A tree climber, it is often hunted for its fur.
In France, where it is called as a chien viverrin, it is rarely spotted and was classed as endangered in 2016.