Tokyo battles surge of destructive raccoons that went from pet to pest

Hotline set up in Japan's capital to report sightings of raccoons, which became popular as pets after success of 1970s TV anime series

Having won the battle to tackle Tokyo's population of giant, ravenous crows, the city's authorities are now embroiled in an even tougher campaign: to rein in another animal menace, the North American raccoon.

The number of raccoons caught in the capital every year has increased fivefold over the past decade, according to media reports, amid concern about the damage the animals are inflicting on the local ecosystem.