If this is indeed a response to the video going viral, it may be an attempt to prevent what happened with the importation of pet racoons to Japan for pets in the 70s. hundreds of raccoons were imported in a pet craze following a popular cartoon (and probably the historical significance of the raccoon-dog, tanuki), but the poor beasts were soon to be found to be fairly unsuitable for taming and living with, so they had a variety of unsavory fates. There was eventually a ban on the import. One guy living in the woods with his chubby buddy is one thing, but when it sets off copycats who aren’t up to the specific challenge of a genetically undomesticated pet, there is reason for caution.
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