Your Faux Fur Could Have Come From An Animal Just Like Tanu The Raccoon Dog

Tanu, an adorable tanuki or raccoon dog, set the hearts of the Internet on fire this week.

Its pretty easy to see why. Tanu, who lives as a pet in Japan , is really adorable.

9.8kg pic.twitter.com/ZlxUp1n9LR

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9.8kg pic.twitter.com/ZlxUp1n9LR
(@chibi_tori) November 26, 2015

But many stories about Tanu gloss over, or just dont mention, a pretty upsetting fact. You might unknowingly be wearing an animal just like Tanu -- even if you bought something labeled faux fur.

pic.twitter.com/oiUcmIE9Dl

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pic.twitter.com/oiUcmIE9Dl
(@chibi_tori) January 19, 2016

Raccoon dogs are a canid species -- meaning theyre in the same family as domestic dogs, wolves and foxes -- native to East Asia , though they can now be found in Europe as well. The raccoon in their name just refers to their stripes and markings -- they arent closely related to raccoons. Theyre hunted and farmed for their fur in several countries, though China and Finland supply most of the raccoon dog fur that hits the shelves, according to an August report by the Humane Society of the United States.