WATCH: Rare albino raccoon dog draws visitors in Japanese zoo

ABOVE: A rare albino raccoon dog makes its new home in a Japanese zoo.

A zoo in central Japan welcomed its latest rare addition last Sunday – an albino raccoon dog.

The one-and-a-half year old “tanuki” (the Japanese term for the animal) has been named Pon-Chan, a common nickname affectionately used by Japanese children for raccoon dogs.

Pon-Chan’s species is native to East Asia and not closely related to the raccoon, but is named as such for its resemblance to the common North American animal.

Raccoon dogs often appear in Japanese folktales as magical mischief-makers.

– with files from NBC News