Do people eat raccoon dogs? All you need to know as new data around COVID-19 origins goes viral

Raccoon dogs have recently been linked to the origins of the COVID-19 virus following the results of a study conducted by a team of international scientists.

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of animal cruelty. Reader discretion is advised.

As per The Guardian, newly released genetic data collected from a live food market in Wuhan has provided additional content to support the theory that infected animals sold at the venue may have contributed to the coronavirus pandemic.

Reports suggest that swabs collected from the shops at the Huanan seafood market two months after the site was shut down in January 2020 previously showed results containing both COVID-19 virus and human DNA.

Last year, some Chinese researchers reportedly said that the samples contained no animal DNA. However, an international team of scientists recently overturned the results by stating that some samples containing the COVID-19 virus were allegedly rich in raccoon dog DNA.

The initial gene sequences were reportedly posted by the Chinese researchers to the scientific database Gisaid and recently analyzed by the international team. The new researchers also reported that they found traces of DNA belonging to other mammals like civets in COVID-positive samples.

While the latest discovery genetic data does not prove that raccoon dogs or other mammals were infected with the COVID virus and spread it in the wet market before transmitting it to humans, the study does show the case of an infected animal as well as highlight the illegal wildlife trade.

According to Science Magazine, last year, a group of researchers led by Su Shuo of Nanjing Agricultural University conducted a study that showed wild animals that are included in the traditional Chinese menu often harbor several viruses.

While the study was not related to the COVID-19 virus it focused on how the animal kingdom had other viral threats. The magazine noted that the researchers reportedly collected samples from nearly 2000 animals representing 18 different species at venues in China, including fur farms, zoos, and natural habitats.

The publication also mentioned that most of these species were "traditionally eaten" as delicacies in China and included raccoon dogs alongside civets, bamboo rats, badgers, and porcupines. While it is not known if raccoon dogs are still eaten, they are still held captive and bred for their fur.

The animal was possibly present in the Wuhan wet market prior to its closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic for illegal trading purposes.

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A look into raccoon dogs’ alleged link to the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been working towards finding the origins of the deadly virus.

The New York Times recently reported that a group of international experts recently found evidence that suggested that the virus may have originated from infected raccoon dogs being illegally sold at Wuhan’s live seafood market in China.

The team reportedly collected genetic data from the swabs taken from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in 2020 and gathered samples from floors, walls, carts, and cages used to transport the animals.

Florence Debarre, an evolutionary biologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, first spotted the newly uploaded gene sequences from the COVID-19 virus study involving genetic data collected from China’s Wuhan wet market.

According to The Guardian, the biologist alerted Prof. Kristian Andersen, an evolutionary biologist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, and Prof. Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, about the development.

Both the researchers have previously written papers citing evidence pointing towards the COVID-19 virus being originated from a live market. The international scientists presented their work to an expert group at the World Health Organization on Tuesday and said that the latest reports strengthened their beliefs.

Prof. Anderson told Science Magazine that the latest “data does point even further to a market origin.” Dr Jonathan Stoye, a virologist and senior group leader at the Francis Crick Institute in London, also told the Guardian that the new findings prove that infected animals were an important link to the COVID-19 pandemic:

“The finding of Sars-CoV-2 infected racoon dogs strengthens the plausibility that coronavirus-infected farmed animals were an important link in the series of events leading to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

However, the expert did not rule out a theory that suggests the COVID-19 virus was leaked from the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology, where researchers work on pathogens similar to that present in wild animals:

“However, it does not disprove lab-leak theories: that would require the demonstration that such animals were infected prior to their arrival and display at the Huanan seafood market, something that may never be possible.”

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist who was part of the latest research, echoed similar sentiments while speaking to The Atlantic:

“This is a really strong indication that animals at the market were infected. There's really no other explanation that makes any sense.”

Stephen Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah and another researcher who was involved in analyzing the new data, added:

“There's a good chance that the animals that deposited that DNA also deposited the virus.”

Computational biologist Alex Crits-Christoph mentioned that the genetic data was “tangible” and said:

“This is the species that everyone has been talking about.”

However, multiple reports suggest that the new study does not confirm that the COVID-19 virus originated from raccoon dogs.

The World Health Organization was made aware of the latest findings, but Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the latest data findings do not provide a definitive answer about the origins of the pandemic.

However, he also stated that “every piece of data is important to moving us closer to that answer.”

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What is known about raccoon dogs?

Raccoon dogs are furry animals belonging to the canid family (Image via Getty Images)

Raccoon dogs are small, furry, fox-like animals belonging to the canid family. They reportedly originated in East Asia. It is neither a raccoon nor a dog but is like a hybrid between the two animals by appearance.

There are reportedly two species of the animal, the common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and the Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes p. viverrinus). Unlike other canids like foxes, coyotes or wolves, raccoon dogs have curved claws that enable them to climb.

They are also the only canids that go into the form of hibernation known as “torpor.” These dogs are often hunted, held captive and bred for their fur.

The Humane Society of the United States reports that millions of these dogs are allegedly killed for their fur in China, and a large number of these products are then sent to the U.S.

According to the Saving Earth Encyclopedia Britannica, articles originally published by Michelle Land, revealed the cruel treatment of raccoon dogs in China. Investigators of Care for the Wild, EAST International, and Swiss Animal Protection reported that these dogs are allegedly skinned alive in fur farms.

Reports suggest that the animals are also raised and cramped together in harsh conditions in outdoor wire cages and exposed to rain, freezing nights, or scorching heat. This has led to an increasing rise in injuries and diseases among raccoon dogs.