A Peaceful Sleep
On a Monday night, the 99-year-old woman was sleeping in her home when she woke up to something “caressing her face.”
She opened her eyes and saw an animal sitting on her chest. The first thought was that the creature was a cat, but she couldn’t be more mistaken!
That's Too Weird
When you thought you had heard it all, there one story like this one that you realize you haven’t seen it all! Imagine waking up to look at a ball of fur curled up on your chest.
The one in our story was a wild animal! Now that’s just creepy.
Calling Her Son In Law
What would a wild creature, which is supposed to live in a forest, do in someone’s home? This was a one-of-a-kind experience nobody wants to go through, especially while ‘safely’ sleeping in your bed!
It all began with a man receiving a call from his terrified mother-in-law…
Screams In The Middle Of The Night
At 2 a.m. in the night, Carlos Aguaras, the woman’s son in law got a phone call. He said in an interview that he “was awakened by a phone call at 2 a.m., which is never good news, and it was from my terrified mother-in-law."
The other person living in the house with the old woman was her live-in caregiver…
What Should We Do?
While Aquaras was rushing to his mother-in-law’s house, a family friend – Cathy Moghari, got to the house to help with the intruder. In the meantime, the weird critter ran and hid in the attic.
Moghari came to help catch the animal, hoping that whatever it was, it wouldn’t bite too hard…
What Is This Creature?
As Moghari looked at it, she realized it was a kinkajou. She explained in an interview that the old woman told her the animal “caressed her face.”
The 99-year-old woman probably never heard about this animal, as it is a wild critter that lives in the forest!
Luring A Creature You've Never Heard About
How do you even lure out a wild animal you have never heard about in your life? Then, the woman began concocting a plan...
“I start thinking, ‘How are we going to get this animal out?’” - she recalls during the interview. Then, she does this thing…
Catching The Animal
Moghari has encountered other exotic animals in her life, and she had some experience, so she devised a plan: “I googled kinkajou sounds and found a video.” When the animal heard those noise, it peeked out and looked at them…
But now what?
Time To Lure It Out
“She peeked out of the attic at her and we set a ladder up into the attic opening and left it there,” said Moghari. Now that the animal was looking at them, she also set a ladder and lured it with some cherries, which led it straight towards a cage.
But here’s where the story gets weirder!
What Now?
Now that the day was saved, it was time to find out what the next step was. It was past 2 a.m., so the son-in-law, the spooked old lady, and Moghari had to wait for the next morning.
The plan was to take the animal somewhere safe, but what were their options at that hour?
South Dade Avian And Exotic Animal Medical Center
They went to South Dade Avian and Exotic Animal Medical Center who thankfully received them during the night.
Veterinarian Don Harris has seen many exotic creatures and knew that this one was frightened. He realized he had to tranquilize it before checking it out…
The Vet Tranquilized Her
It was a female kinkajou, said Harris. He said that he had to tranquilize her because she was very scared and he could have ended with a very big scar from her bites. Looking at her, he saw the poor critter has been through a lot… and most importantly, she was very far away from her habitat.
Later, they find out what she was doing in the city!
A Serious Injury
“She was tired, cold, hungry, traumatized, and all she really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and hide,” Harris explained. He also added that if the old lady would have grabbed the animal and the kinkajou would have bitten her, “it could have been a serious injury.”
But something was odd about this specimen!
Everyone Was Safe
Thankfully, both the woman and the kinkajou were safe. They were both very scared too. Then, the vet realized something as he learned all about the story. According to the animal’s behavior at the house, he said that “no undomesticated wild animal like this would curl up on a woman’s chest to go to sleep.”
This is where it gets more interesting!
Nocturnal Mammals
You find kinkajous in the trees at night, in the tropical forests of Central and South America. These adorable guys are cousins of the raccoon and have amazing tails that act as an arm.
They can even “to turn their feet backwards to run easily in either direction along branches or up and down trunks,” wrote National Geographic.
Exotic Pet
However, even though wild, kinkajous sometimes end up as exotic pets – and this was exactly this critter’s story. Usually, these animals are very timid, but they do have sharp teeth, which make them dangerous. This 5-year-old kinkajou was just scared and hungry, but other than that it was healthy.
Local news wrote about this story, and that’s when a man contacted the vet…
It's My Baby
After WPLG wrote about this weird incident, other news stations reported the story of the mysterious kinkajou. Looking at the news, Ray Fernandez couldn’t believe his eyes.
His lost furry friend that he named Banana was all right! He called the vet and then got reunited with the furry baby!
Banana Got Banana
Banana, the kinkajou, was over her head after getting some bananas and his owner back. Happily perched on his shoulder, she looked calm and comfortable. Fernandez said:
"I got my baby back. I can't believe it. I thought she was lost forever." But how did he lose her?
Friends For Five Years
Fernandez and Banana have been friends for five years. A week before she escaped, Fernandez has to send Banana to some relatives as he was having some work done to his house.
That was when the animal escaped. And she did it in style – here’s what the owner said!
A Temporary House
"I was tenting my house and I had to move her to my brother's house in a temporary cage, and she figured out a way to open it up," said Fernandez. Believe it or not, but this cheeky girl was preparing her great escape.
"She's got really good hands," added Fernandez, laughing while giving an interview.
Planning A Visit
The owner looked for her and left food out to catch her, but they had no success. Moreover, judging by the place where the old woman lived, Banana “was pretty far from where she escaped," added Fernandez.
He also said he would pay the woman a visit with his pet, but he will do it during the day.
Another Famous Kinkajou
Banana might be an emerging star, but another very famous kinkajou is Paris Hilton’s furry friend called Baby Luv.
We all know Paris Hilton carries her Chihuahua with her everywhere she goes, but seeing her with a kinkajou is pretty weird.
Baby Luv
Back in 2006, Hilton’s Baby Luv appeared in this adorable photo while play-fighting her owner and nibbling on her fingers.
Did you know these creatures are also called honey bears because they love to raid nests of bees? Here’s some other information you’ll find interesting…
Special Permit
It is legal to keep a pet kinkajou if you have a special permit. However, animal welfare experts don’t recommend us:
“Having any animal as a pet means being responsible for providing appropriate and humane care. Where wild animals are concerned, meeting this responsibility is usually impossible,” explains the Humane Society.
A Difficult Task
“People, animals and the environment suffer the consequences,” added the Humane Society.
Kinkajous can also scratch or bite, and trying to replicate their natural habitat – the rainforest, it’s very difficult too, compromising the animal’s quality of life – so caring for a kinkajou is quite a difficult task.