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Exotic animal rescued from rest area gets medical exam

Posted on by angelo

A Washington police officer was surprised to find a strange creature wandering near a rest area, especially since he had never seen a kinkajou before! According to KCEN 6 News, the odd-looking little creature was clinging to a road sign. Police captured the furry wanderer and delivered it to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, where staff were able to identify it. Interestingly, kinkajous are typically found in more tropical climates. No one knows how this one ended up near Yakima, Washington!

The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium shared an update on the creature’s health on social media. As you can imagine, the kinkajou found in a rest area far from its natural habitat was pretty skinny. After examining it, experts determined that the little guy was still quite young. He appeared to have a few parasites, but otherwise appeared healthy.

“The rescued kinkajou, found abandoned at a rest area over the weekend, has undergone a full health examination,” the zoo wrote in its caption. “He is in fairly good overall health, but is very thin, weighing only 2.5 pounds.”

Meet the adorable kinkajou!

After sharing the rescued animal’s condition, the Point Defiance Zoo included some fun facts about the unusual creature.

“Kinkajous are small, prehensile-tailed carnivores, often mistakenly referred to as primates,” they wrote. “Despite their cuteness, kinkajous do not make cute pets.”

A brown creature being held and examined by someone wearing medical gloves.
Screenshot from TikTok

While you may be disappointed to hear that you probably won’t be able to take one of these adorable creatures home, it’s good news to hear that this one is doing so well! Commenters were so happy that the kinkajou rescued from the rest area is getting the care it needs.

“My God, he is so cute and precious,” one user wrote. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Another added: “I hope he makes a full recovery! What a cutie!”

We may never know how this kinkajou ended up in a rest area in Washington, but it definitely looks like he’s in good hands now.

You can find the source of the featured image in this story here.