Nottinghamshire raccoon dog owner brands attention 'ridiculous'

The owner of two dangerous raccoon dogs that escaped their enclosure has branded the ensuing media storm 'ridiculous'.

The owner, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC he is now building a more secure enclosure for the exotic animals.

He thanked everyone for their efforts and, said he had been worried about the fact they are an invasive species but reports by some media outlets of a village "under siege" and "terrorised" by the animals was "ridiculous".

‘Dangerous’ Raccoon dogs on the loose in Bassetlaw ‘attack dog and goat’

The six-year-old raccoon dogs, Gallagher and Nikami, made headlines around the world after they disappeared from their home in Clarborough last week.

They were found nearby four days later after a rescue effort involving about 15 volunteers and six drones.

Police had described them as "potentially dangerous" and one reportedly attacked a goat and pony.

Clarborough resident Betsy Greenhalgh posted a picture of the animal on social media to try and trace the owner after she claimed it tried to attack her mother’s goat.

“Does anybody know what this is?” she posted. “It attacked my mother-in-law’s goat at 4.30am this morning and was unable to be scared off by two men for an hour and a half.”

Nottinghamshire Police said that they had received a report of a dog being ‘attacked’ at around 6am.