Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kimchi_pizza]

It seems I have a new neighbor lurking about my apartment...

A few weeks ago while standing outside my apartment enjoying an
a late night cigarette I heard what I thought was a cat walking among
some bushes. A second glance and I see this big ball of fur slowly
walking not 10 feet from me and couldn't figure out what it was until
it looked up at me and it definitely had the face of a racoon. I thought,
"Cool..." and left it at that.

Then just last night as I was pulling into the front of my pad, there it was
again and got a better look at this thing in my headlights. Smaller than
the average dog but bigger than the average cat with a huge mess'a brown and black tangled fur covering it. It scampered away but it was
a neat animal to see specially in a country where it's a rare thing to see any wildlife other than birds and the occasional squirrel.

So, I gots my own little "tanuki". Just thought I'd share in this interesting little animal.

If I manage to snap any photos, I'll share'em but this'll have to do for now...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon_Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2d6tSk3kt8

[nosmallplans]

They had some in a petting zoo down in Cheongdo during sohsam.

I also saw some Korean tv show where these guys lived with a pair of raccoons. They look like they could be cool pets... if you don't mind them going through and constantly destroying your stuff.

Edit: There's also a really great Studio Ghibli movie about 'em.

[Robot_Teacher]

It's probably endangered in Korea. Meaning there are very few of them left. I can only imagine how Korea abounded with wild life long ago before this land was all chopped down, pilfered, sifted over by lines of men acting as a fine tooth comb, and then people desparately killing everything for food, even dogs. What's here today are mostly imported or reintroduced species, particularly agricultural products such as bell peppers and millk cows.

I know there is a small antlerless deer too as you see road signs in Gangwon-do warning of them.

[kimchi_pizza]