These adorable raccoon dogs are being culled in Sweden
These little guys are under threat (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
They might look like the latest adorable animal to be destined for internet immortality, but the raccoon dogs are facing slaughter after they became a serious threat to other animals in Sweden.
They are known to feed on amphibians and ground-nesting birds and it’s this diet that is causing an ‘ecological disaster’, according to Per-Arne Ahlen, who is leading the project to eradicate the animals.
But it’s almost a case of dog eats dog, with the project enlisting the help of trained raccoon dogs to kill their feral counterparts.
The BBC reports they are taking a select group of raccoon dogs known as ‘Judas animals’, before sterilising them and releasing them back into the wild.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock (4929760a)nRaccoon dogs in their cage in Chapultepec's Zoo, in Mexico City, MexiconVariousnn
Picture: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock
Raccoon dogs are known to mate with a single partner for a life – and the Judas dogs will go searching for a new partner when they’re released.
As soon as one stops moving, one of the six full-time workers will detect this on a GPS tracker – and will be sent to discover if it has found a new partner – before taking the wild animal and killing it.
But Ahlen says that the project has faced little opposition from animal rights group – as the project aims to protect ecology.