Multiple and shifting definitions of problem animal

A frame analysis of Finnish newspapers’ raccoon dog writings

Abstract

Since raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) settled in Finland around the mid-1900s it has raised various concerns in Finnish society. Control of the wild raccoon dog population is widely accepted but this medium-sized mammal has nevertheless sparked fervent reactions among supporters of more rigorous eradication measures. I study this discussion in the Finnish newspaper media to analyse the meanings of a wildlife problem animal in Finnish culture. I use a frame analytical approach inside neostructuralist framework and data collected from Finnish newspapers between 1970 and 2020. During this period Finnish society and its relationship to nature have changed profoundly due to economic restructurings and evolving environmental consciousness and policy. Societal changes may also affect cultural understandings of wildlife nuisances. Therefore, I do not ask only in which frames newspapers address raccoon dog problems but also how the framings change over time. As a result of this analysis, I have found three frames: nature exploitation, nature conservation, and health security. The first dominates newspapers’ understanding of problem animal until 2000 but loses its position to the frame of nature conservation in the 2010s. The results shed light on cultural distinctions and conceptions which define the societal identity and treatment of non-human animals.