Japanese raccoon dogs are idiotic and confused and adorable and I love them
Zoo Atlanta's newest residents are a combination of two things that don't live in zoos
Is it a dog? Is it a raccoon? NO IT'S A TANUKI. That's a Japanese raccoon dog, a ridiculous Southeast-Asian canine creature that forgot what dogs look like and got all dressed up like a raccoon instead. Zoo Atlanta has two new ones — Loki and Thor — in the "Trader’s Alley: Wildlife’s Fading Footprints" exhibit. Here's one of them. Look at the confusion and desperation in those eyes ...
- Zoo Atlantahttp://clatl.com/atlanta/ImageArchives?by=1223504
- I wish I looked like dogs look.
According to the zoo people, tanuki aren't endangered, but "populations have declined in recent years" because rude people hunt them for their puffy, ridiculous fur. Probably to make their very own one of these, which I have also wanted since I was six ...
Fun fact: they're the only canines that hibernate during the winter. Get a job, tanuki.