Meet Tanu, the Japanese Raccoon Dog

Have you ever heard of Tanuki or raccoon dog? I had lived in Japan but have never seen one in person before.

Tanuki is a very traditional animal in Japan, and it often appears in Japanese folklore.

Recently, Tanu, a pet raccoon dog rescued by a Japanese man has become popular on internet. People can’t seem to get enough of Tanu.

The man, who uses the Twitter handle @chibi_tori, has been posting cute pictures of Tanu in his home.

晩飯の後は、グルーミングが日課。ご機嫌な時は、空いている左手の皮をガジガジします。皮を摘み動かすような感じですが、甘んじて受ける事にしてます。お腹をブラッシングしている時のぽんぽこが面白いので自撮りしてみましたが顔しか写ってなかった pic.twitter.com/oiUcmIE9Dl

— ことり (@chibi_tori) January 19, 2016

Foreigners may think that Tanuki is a raccoon or a badger because of their furry appearances.

But Tanuki is not related to raccoons.

Tanuki belong to the Canidae family, which includes dogs and wolves. One Japanese Tanuki became very popular on internet. Rescuer has been posting adorable pictures of his raccoon dog called “Tanu” in his home.

So do raccoon dogs make good pets?

Probably not. Tanuki live near the ocean and they eat rodents as well as fruits. Experts say they are bettered suited for a zoo than an individual’s home.

Raccoon dogs are wild animals, not domesticated animals. So they don’t have the traits of a domestic dog, meaning that they aren’t usually born in captivity and could be very aggressive and even dangerous toward humans.

They require special care and it can be expensive to provide proper care.

In the U.S., you will need to have a special permit to have Tanuki as a pet.

I love faux fur coats. They are comfortable, warm and look cute. But it is upsetting to find that we could be wearing Tanuki faux fur even though it isn’t supposed to be “real fur”.

So we should be aware of this when we buy faux fur products. 🙁