That’s beary suspicious.
Washington officers have been left scratching their heads this week once they discovered a mammal indigenous to the rainforest crawling alongside a stretch of desert.
The kinkajou — also called a honey bear — was found Sunday darting up a tall picket publish at a relaxation cease alongside Interstate 82 southeast of Yakima, the state Division of Transportation mentioned on X.
“Hiya from our pleasant Kinkajou! What’s that you simply say? It’s a nocturnal rainforest animal,” the DOT wrote.
“Why was it at our east Selah Creek Relaxation Space over the wknd? We don’t know, however our associates with Dept. of Fish & Wildlife rescued him. We don’t know if it was dropped off or escaped.”
Animal consultants suspect that the weasel-like critter was obtained via the unlawful pet commerce earlier than being deserted and left to fend for itself within the arid local weather.
On the time of its rescue, it was “very skinny” and weighed solely 2.5 kilos — about 4 kilos lower than the typical weight of a kinkajou, in keeping with The Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums.
Whereas the complete outcomes of the younger animal are nonetheless pending, officers mentioned the kinkajou — which appears like a cross between a monkey and a tiny bear — was in truthful general well being.
He’s recuperating on the zoo as officers search for a everlasting residence for the tiny beast.
Kinkajous, which have prehensile tails, are carnivores that stay in tropical rainforests from southern Mexico via Brazil.
With sandy yellow fur, spherical ears and large darkish eyes, they’re able to greedy objects and are sometimes mistakenly known as primates, the zoo mentioned.
“Regardless of their cuteness, kinkajous don’t make good pets,” the zoo mentioned.
Kinkajous are usually not endangered however are hunted for his or her fur, and the unlawful unique pet commerce threatens their inhabitants, in keeping with the zoo.
