Exotic small carnivore, native to tropical rainforests, rescued from rest stop in Washington

A young kinkajou was rescued in Washington state after it was found abandoned at a rest stop in Yakima, a city about 150 miles from Seattle.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police officers rescued the wild animal from a rest area in Yakima Sunday after they received a request for assistance, the department said in an email to USA TODAY on Thursday.

Officers then transported the animal to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, where veterinary staff assessed its condition. The zoo said it would temporarily hold the animal and provide medical assistance as necessary until a more permanent home is found.

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Animal quarantined upon arrival at zoo

Point Defiance Zoo, in a post on social media, said the rainforest mammal was immediately quarantined upon arrival at the zoo's animal hospital when he arrived and will "undergo a comprehensive wellness exam with our veterinary team this week."

The zoo said the animal's rescue highlights "the dangers of the illegal pet trade."

"While kinkajous are not endangered, they are hunted for fur, meat, and the exotic pet trade, threatening their wild population," Point Defiance Zoo said in their post.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Wildlife Confiscations Network was also contacted in the process of the rescue.

What are kinkajous?

Kinkajous are a tropical rainforest mammal closely related to raccoons, olingos and coatis, as per Smithsonian Magazine. They are often confused with primates given their prehensile tails, Point Defiance Zoo says, but are actually small nocturnal carnivores. They can be found in tropical rainforests from southern Mexico through Brazil.

"Despite their cuteness, kinkajous do not make good pets," Point Defiance Zoo said.

It is not immediately clear how the animal got to the rest stop. The Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police, in their statement highlighted the dangers of releasing or abandoning exotic pets in the wild, explaining that such animals can not only be a danger to people and the area's native wildlife, but are also not equipped to survive in the wild.

"Exotic animals in need of a new home should be taken to a permitted animal sanctuary as they are equipped to give the animal the space and care it needs in captivity," the department said.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.