April 28, 2017 11.56 am This story is over 82 months old

RSCPA teams rescue raccoon dog from Lincolnshire garden

RSPCA teams have rescued a stray raccoon dog from a garden in Kirton Holme, near Boston. The exotic mammal was collected by the animal welfare charity who are now caring for for him until he can be rehomed. The raccoon dog – also known as a tanuki – was found on Easter Monday, April 17…

RSPCA teams have rescued a stray raccoon dog from a garden in Kirton Holme, near Boston.

The exotic mammal was collected by the animal welfare charity who are now caring for for him until he can be rehomed.

The raccoon dog – also known as a tanuki – was found on Easter Monday, April 17 by a woman who alerted the RSPCA.

Thankfully the racoon was uninjured

Inspector Becky Harper went to the scene to catch the raccoon.

She said: “The lady was alerted to him by her dogs barking at the little creature who was hiding under a water tank in the garden.

“When I arrived, the caller had managed to confine him in an outbuilding by barricading the doorway.

“He was huddled under a car and was clearly very nervous. Thankfully, he hadn’t suffered any injuries and was in fairly good condition. He wasn’t totally wild and seemed to be used to having people nearby but didn’t want to be touched or stroked.”

The raccoon, now nicknamed Cedric by RSPCA staff, was taken to a nearby vets for an assessment.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t chipped so he was transferred to the charity’s specialist wildlife centre at RSPCA Stapeley Grange in Cheshire.

The tanuki – originally from Asia – was registered on Pets Located and posted on social media and various lost and found forums but sadly no one has come forward to claim him.

Becky added: “While he is very cute, we’d like to stress that raccoon dogs don’t make good pets.

“They are wild animals and, while they sadly seem to be becoming more popular as pets in the UK, we would strongly discourage people from buying or keeping one as a pet.”