That seems highly doubtful.
Authorities in Washington were left scratching their heads this week after discovering a mammal native to the rainforest slithering through the desert.
The kinkajou, also known as Honey Bear, was found Sunday scurrying up a tall wooden post at a rest area along Interstate 82 southeast of Yakima, the state Department of Transportation said in a statement. I said it in X.
“Hello from our friendly kinkajou! What can you say? A nocturnal rainforest animal,” the Department for Transport wrote.
“Why was he at East Selah Creek Rest Area over the weekend? We have no idea, but our friends at the Fish and Wildlife Service rescued him. We don’t know if he was abandoned or if he ran away.”
Animal experts suspect the weasel-like animal may have been acquired through the illegal pet trade, then abandoned and left to fend for itself in the dry climate.
When rescued, the animal was “very thin” and weighed just 2.5 pounds — about 4 pounds lighter than the average kinkajou. Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Full results on the young animal are still pending, but officials said the kinkajou, which looks like a cross between a monkey and a small bear, is in good overall health.
He is recuperating at the zoo while authorities find a permanent home for the tiny animal.
Kinkajous are prehensile carnivores that live in the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico and Brazil.
The zoo said they have sandy fur, round ears, large dark eyes and prehensile abilities and are often mistakenly referred to as primates.
“Kinkajous are adorable but do not make good pets,” the zoo says.
The zoo says kinkajous are not endangered, but they are hunted for their fur and the illegal exotic pet trade threatens their population.
