Research

Control of non-native raccoons, which are increasing in number and causing damage in Hokkaido and other parts of Japan, is an urgent policy issue, and reducing the cost of the prolonged control project is the most important issue in the field. Conventional trapping methods rely only on box traps with bait, and require daily patrols and inspections regardless of whether raccoons have been trapped or not, to prevent bycatch of other animals and to replace bait, and the amount of work does not decrease, even after the population density has been reduced. The den-type trap developed in this study, based on the nesting habit of raccoons in tree caves, does not require bait to attract raccoons, reduces bycatch, and eliminates the need for daily inspections, thereby keeping the cost of pest control extremely low. The trap is also equipped with a system that allows the office to receive capture information via radio waves, making it possible for a small number of people to implement a wide range of pest control measures with a low budget.