Note on consumption of fox bait by alien raccoons in eastern Hokkaido, Japan

Note on consumption of fox bait by alien raccoons in eastern Hokkaido, Japan

Arisawa H., Uraguchi K., Kouguchi H., Oshida T.

P. 178-182

Alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is its principle definitive host. Effective decrease in E. multilocularis prevalence is a result of baiting red foxes with the anthelmintic praziquantel. Recently, introduced raccoons (Procyon lotor) are increasing in Hokkaido, Japan. If they frequently consume fox bait, the baiting campaign may not be effective on red foxes. With camera trap, we examined seasonal consumption of fox bait by raccoons in Memuro, Tokachi District, Hokkaido, Japan from May to October, 2018. Raccoons have been reported in Memuro since 2014. We photographed red foxes, raccoons, raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes viverrinus albus), domestic cats (Felis catus), weasels, murids, Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), sika deer (Cervus nippon), bats, and birds. Proportions of animal species photographed significantly differed among seasons. Red foxes, raccoons, raccoon dogs, domestic cats, and murids consumed fox bait. Proportions of animals consuming fox bait were significantly differed among seasons. In summer and autumn, raccoons frequently appeared at baiting sites and consumed fox bait. We recommend removing raccoons from the area, before baiting campaign.DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.19.2.08

Литература
  • Asakawa M., Matoba Y., Yamada D. & Kamiyama T. 2000. Review of the parasitological state of feral raccoons captured in Nopporo National Park and its proximity, Hokkaido // Journal of Rakuno Gakuen University. Vol.25. P.1–8 [in Japanese with English summary].
  • Hegglin D., Ward P.I. & Deplazes P. 2003. Anthelmintic bating of foxes against urban contamination with Echinococcus multilocularis // Emerging Infection Diseases. Vol.9. P.1266–1272.
  • Hokkaido Government. 2007. [A Guideline Using Anthelmintics on Red Foxes: Measures against Echinococcosis]. Sapporo: Hokkaido Government. 15 p. [in Japanese].
  • Hokkaido Government. 2015. [Q & A to avoid suffering from echinococcosis]. Available at http://www.pref.hokkaido. lg.jp/hf/kth/ekinoWeb20150402.pdf. Accessed 14 August 2019. [In Japanese].
  • Hokkaido Government. 2019. [Statistics on wildlife in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan]. Available at http://www.pref. hokkaido.lg.jp/ks/skn/toukei/tyozu.htm. Accessed 21 April 2020. [In Japanese].
  • Ikeda T. 2015. Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758) // Ohdachi S.D., Iwasa M.A., Ishibashi Y., Fukui D. & Saitoh T. (eds.). The Wild Mammals of Japan. 2nd ed. Kyoto: Shoukadoh Book Seller. P.232–233.
  • Inoue T., Nonaka N., Kanai Y., Iwaki T., Kamiya M. & Oku Y. 2007. The use of tetracycline in anthelmintic baits to assess baiting rate and drug efficacy against Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes // Veterinary Parasitology. Vol.150. P.88–96.
  • Ishida A., Takahashi K., Uraguchi K. & Oshida T. 2014. Environmental factors for efficiently baiting red foxes in agricultural areas in eastern Hokkaido, Japan // Mammal Study. Vol.39. P.167–172.
  • Iwashita A., Ogawa H. & Ando M. 2015. Effectiveness of camera trap data as relative abundance index of the raccoon (Procyon lotor) // Journal of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture. Vol.60. P.69–76 [in Japanese with English summary].
  • König A., Romig T. & Holzhofer E. 2019. Effective longterm control of Echinococcus multilocularis in a mixed rural-urban area in southern Germany // PLOS ONE. Vol.14 (4): e0214993.
  • Nonaka N., Kamiya M. & Oku Y. 2006. Towards the control of Echinococcus multilocularis in the definitive host in Japan // Parasitology International. Vol.55. P.S263–S266.
  • Oku Y. 2010. [Echinococcosis]. Tokyo: Japan Livestock Industry Association. 19 p. [in Japanese].
  • Romig T., Bilger B., Dinkel A., Meril M., Thoma D., Will R., Mackenstedt U. & Lucius R. 2007. Impact of praziquantel baiting on intestinal helminths of foxes in southwestern Germany // Helminthologia. Vol.44. P.137–144.
  • Schwarz S., Sutor A., Staubach C., Mattis R., Tackmann K. & Conraths F.J. 2011. Estimated prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides in northern Brandenburg, Germany // Current Zoology. Vol.57. P.655–661.
  • Soulsbury C.D., Baker P.J., Iossa G. & Harris S. 2010. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) // Gehrt S.D., Riley S.P.D. & Cypher B.L. (eds.). Urban Carnivores: Ecology, Conflict, and Conservation. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. P.62–75.
  • Takahashi K., Uraguchi K., Romig T., Hatakeyama H. & Tamura M. 2002. [Preliminary report on Echinococcus multilocularis control by fox bating with paraziquantel] // Report of Hokkaido Institute of Public Health. Vol.52. P.61–63 [in Japanese].
  • Takahashi K., Uraguchi K. & Kudo S. 2005. The epidemiological status of Echinococcus multilocularis in animals in Hokkaido, Japan // Mammal Study. Vol.30. Suppl. P.101–105.
  • Takahashi K., Uraguchi K., Abe S. & Hirakawa, H. 2010. [Making acceptable bait by red foxes] // Report of Hokkaido Institute of Public Health. Vol.60. P.81–82 [in Japanese].
  • Takahashi K., Uraguchi K., Hatakeyama H., Giraudoux P. & Romig T. 2013. Efficacy of anthelmintic baiting of foxes against Echinococcus multilocularis in northern Japan // Veterinary Parasitology. Vol.198. P.122–126.
  • Tsukada H., Hamazaki K., Ganzorig S., Iwaki T., Konno K., Lagapa J., Matsuno K., Ono A., Shimizu M., Sakai H., Morishima Y., Nonaka N., Oku Y. & Kamiya M. 2002. Potential remedy against Echinococcus multilocularis in wild red foxes using baits with anthelmintic distributed around fox breeding dens in Hokkaido, Japan // Parasitology. Vol.125. P.119–129.
  • Tsukada H. 2005. [Foraging behavior of red foxes and echinococcosis] // Honyurui Kagaku [Mammalian Science]. Vol.45. P.91–98 [in Japanese].
  • Takyu M., Takahashi K., Uraguchi K & Oshida T. 2013. Fox bait consumption and camera trapping in agricultural areas in eastern Hokkaido, Japan // Mammal Study. Vol.38. P.57–60.
  • Uraguchi K. 2015. Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) // Ohdachi S.D., Iwasa M.A., Ishibashi Y., Fukui D. & Saitoh T. (eds.). The Wild Mammals of Japan. 2nd ed. Kyoto: Shoukadoh Book Seller. P.222–223.
  • Yamaguchi E. 2015. Environmental Risk Factors Associated with Infection in Raccoons. PhD Thesis. Morioka: The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University. 105 p. [in Japanese with English summary].
  • Yamashita J. & Kamiya M. 1997. [Echinococcus: Its Characters and Preventives]. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press. 274 p. [in Japanese].
  • Yoshioka A. & Yanagawa Y. 2008. Utilization of riparian forests and windbreak forests by mammals in the Tokachi District of Hokkaido // Research Bulletin of Obihiro University of Agriculture of Veterinary Medicine. Vol.29. P.66–73.