Rainforest animal called a kinkajou rescued from dusty highway rest stop in Washington state

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A small mammal called a kinkajou was found far from its normal rainforest habitat this week: at a rest stop amid the rolling sagebrush plains of central Washington state. Kinkajous look like a mix between a monkey and a bear, and have prehensile tails. This one was spotted climbing on a tall wooden post along Interstate 82 southeast of Yakima on Sunday. Officials don’t don’t know if it was abandoned there or escaped. Kinkajous live in tropical rainforests from southern Mexico through Brazil. That’s according to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, where this one was taken to live temporarily. The zoo says kinkajous are carnivores that despite their cuteness, do not make good pets.