Der Marderhund ( Nyctereutes procyonoides) in der Lausitz - Forschungsergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen

Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Lusatia, Germany - Results and conclusions The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), a middle-sized wild canid, is originally spread in Southeast Asia, in Far East Russia and in Japan. From 1929 to 1945 9,100 individuals of the subspecies N.p.ussuriensis were brought to the European part of the former USSR and set free into wilderness. During a few decades raccoon dogs colonized Finland, Eastern Europe and parts of Central Europe; in Europe range extension still is going on.In Southern Brandenburg/Germany, between the years 2001 and 2004, within the scope of a radiotracking project, data on habitat use, dispersal behaviour and diet composition were collected.Its generalistic diet and habitat selection, its ability for range extension and the lack of natural predators, enables the raccoon dog to build up steady populations and colonize further parts of Europe. The range of native predators has been added with an alien species by the raccoon dog, which causes more pressure on potential prey species, for instance ground nesting birds and small game species. Since there is largely a lack of an effective reduction of predators, risk of extinction especially for population of endangered species is very high.