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Police warn 'potentially dangerous' raccoon dogs are on the loose after escaping enclosure

A picture showing one of the raccoon dogs. Residents have been warned not to approach them. (SWNS)
A picture showing one of the raccoon dogs. Residents have been warned not to approach them. (SWNS)

A village is ‘under siege’ from a pair of escaped raccoon dogs which are attacking pets and animals.

Police were called after residents reported being subjected to a two hour stand off with the bizarre-looking creatures.

Mandy Marsh, 53, and her husband Dale, 54, said they were woken at around 4am by a "blood curdling scream" and ran outside.

They spotted a dog-sized animal which they had never seen before in a stand off with their pet goat Betty and pony Peaches.

Mandy Marsh with HER pony Peaches and goat Betty who were terrorised by two raccoons which escaped from a nearby home.
Mandy Marsh with her pony Peaches who was terrorised by two raccoons which escaped from a nearby home. Luckily the pony was not seriously injured.

The couple - armed with planks of wood - said it took them two hours to chase off the snarling and hissing animal.

But it returned minutes later to corner a dog walker outside their home in Clarborough, in Nottinghamshire, before scarpering off.

Police confirmed two "potentially dangerous" raccoon dogs which are "not domesticated" have escaped from a nearby enclosure - and warned anyone who sees them to call 999.

The raccoon dog is indigenous to East Asia and is unrelated to raccoons but is related to fox and wolf.

A map showing where the dogs attacked and where they escaped from. (SWNS)
A map showing where the dogs attacked and where they escaped from. (SWNS)

They eat anything from insects and reptiles to small mammals, eggs, and crops and in 2017 the RSPCA warned people against keeping them as pets.

Mandy said: "It was actually terrifying.

"We were laid in bed at about 4am and I heard such a terrifying noise like I had never heard before. It was screaming.

"My husband went out and opened the door and the dog shot out.

"The dog was barking like mad and my husband went out after her.

"He came back and he said to me 'you are going to have to come and see this, there is something in the field attacking the pony and I have absolutely no idea what it is'.

She posted about the animal online and experts identified it as a raccoon dog.

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Mandy claims police said they would put up a helicopter it if it wasn't found soon, and a local wildlife tracker has offered help.

She estimated the raccoon dog was around three stone and the size of a Staffordshire bull terrier.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: "Residents in the Clarborough area near Retford are being warned to be vigilant after two captive Raccoon dogs escaped their enclosure.

"They went missing from an enclosure in Big Lane, Clarborough at around 6am this on Tuesday 28 May 2019.

"The animals, which are described as being the same size of a medium- to small-sized dog, are potentially dangerous if approached as they are not domesticated.

"Police are advising anyone who sees the animals to report any sightings by calling 999."

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