TACOMA, Wash. — A kinkajou discovered abandoned at a rest stop in central Washington is now being cared for at Tacoma's Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
The young kinkajou, a nocturnal rainforest mammal, was found at the Selah Creek Rest Area on June 23. State officials said it's unclear if it was dropped off or escaped.
State Trooper Nick Daley had not heard of a kinkajou before being called to help trap one seen running around the rest stop.
"I thought it was a joke because my thought was it was some sort of Pokémon," he said, adding he doesn't know much about Pokémon. "But that's where my mind went to."
Kinkajous are known to live in tropical rainforests from southern Mexico through Brazil. They are small carnivores.
With the help of some state Department of Transportation workers and a cardboard box, they wrangled the kinkajou into a trooper's vehicle. Fish and Wildlife officers then took it to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
After arriving at Point Defiance Zoo, the kinkajou was quarantined at the zoo's animal hospital for onsite care.
The kinkajou was examined the morning of June 27. Head Veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf said the young male animal is in fair health. She described him as being aggressive, however.
"He does not like people. He has an attitude. He has very sharp teeth. He would make a terrible pet," said Wolf.
The kinkajou will live at the zoo while staff wait for blood test results. It will not be viewable to the public during that time.
A national search is underway for a permanent home, another zoo, or sanctuary, according to Malia Somerville, Point Defiance's general curator. Somerville said the zoo does not have a space that meets a kinkajou's needs.
The animal has not been named.
"We'll probably leave that for his forever home folks," said Somerville.
According to information from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, kinkajous are technically legal to own per state law. However, there would need to be federal permitting if the animal was moved across state borders and the sale of offspring would be illegal.
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