A comparison of commercial scent lures in attracting Raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides)

Abstract: The invasive species raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is currently under establishment Sweden and it is vital to discover invading individuals to prevent colonization. The use of wildlife cameras to discover dispersing raccoon dogs have been implemented in the north-European raccoon dog management program. In this study, I test the ability of four commercially available scent lures to attract raccoon dogs to camera stations. The study was conducted in the Åland Islands where raccoon dogs are abundant and the results could improve the effectiveness of the camera stations used in the program. I used 12 sites with five camera stations in each and tested the four lures and one control with no lure in each site. The stations were baited and left undisturbed for a minimum of 11 days. The cameras recorded 18 raccoon dogs distributed over 11 stations and 5 sites. No statistical significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis test) was found between treatments, probably because of the low number of detected raccoon dogs. I believe however the method is useful to detect presence of raccoon dog and the results should give some indications about which lures are most effective.