Trust me when I'm completely aware of how late this is. In a post in January of 2010, I mentioned this little group of forecasters and how I'd just love to witness this in person. Here's the awfully late result of 2011's forecast.
Read the article here: Bridgeton Coatimundis Predict Six More Weeks of Winter.
It's been a slow news month as far as coatimundi are concerned. Don't be discouraged, though. I have some really interesting posts coming up.
For now, I thought I'd start this year with a post that I found on MySpace concerning the dangers of owning an exotic animal...ESPECIALLY a coatimundi. This post shows how a sudden attack has nothing to do with the human/animal connection. A wild animal is, and always will be, a wild animal. Keyword in that last sentence? Wild.
What this woman describes happening to her is something that I've dealt with as well. What I really can't seem to wrap my head around is toward the end where she states that, "things have now forever changed as far as Cody and will most probably look for another place for him to go." THIS is EXACTLY the kind of thing I don't grasp. An incident like this takes place and people immediately think that their relationship with the animal is severed. It's not. It's a moment where that key word, 'wild', comes out once in a while in a blaze of ugly glory. When something like this occurs, the human being assumes that things will never be the same. Exotic animals will freak out on occasion. It's just a part of life. To have one, know the dangers associated with it, keep the animal with that knowledge and then toss it to some kind of sanctuary where you tell them it attacked you, you're setting up the animal as a menace when in actuality it was just doing what it does. You have to deal with that, take responsibility for not paying attention for a split-second, come to terms with it and realize that you'll now have to crank up your own inner-alpha-animal behavior to show that animal where that it stands in your relationship. And a two-year-old coati who's testing his boundaries? Like trying to convince a pro-wrestler that repeatedly slamming your scrawny body into the turnbuckle is outside his job description. While I realize that what I just said sounds a little odd or like I'm some kind of nut-job, that's just a fact. It was a two-year-old coati she wrote about and it's ABSOLUTELY going to take a shot at you and you HAVE to be prepared to be the dominate animal. The hormones of a two-year-old coati (and later on at about eight years of age) are like that of a ten-year-old ADD child on crack! They're like blenders on wheels that have about four quarts of Red Bull in them and quite honestly it shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm going to apologize and ease it down a notch. There's just this thing with people where, and this applies to a LOT of private, backyard animal 'rehab' centers, people think they're doing a great service. However, the mintue something goes wrong the animal's no longer 'cute' and able to be handled. The animal's then sent off to a place that can actually provide for the animal. Sure not all animal rehabilitation centers are going to do this, but it happens more than it should and that saddens me. My apologies again for such a lengthy, wordy post. I'll end it simply by posting what caused me to gush so many words about something that I can't preach about enough: Wild animals are wild. And a two-year-old coatimundi? They're worse than that. (This is the actual post. I simply copied and pasted. So no remarks about grammar.)
Had a very interesting, and painful, day, and it illustrated completly why I try so hard to make people understand that exotic and wild animals are NOT good pets, but only for those who know how to handle them, and even we can get hurt. Thank you to Linda, Cynthia and the staff at Dr. Pitts office. Story below
This is "Cody" the 2 year old male coati mundi here at Seven's Heaven. He was one of 6 rescued and the one I kept here. He is included in tours and visits as I explain to people why a coati mundi is not a good pet. He can be loving, as in the picture, and funny and sweet, but yesterday I believe his hormones and natural aggression got the better of him..and me too.
I was cleaning in the nursery where he was for the winter and found a toy I thought he would like. I opened the cage to put it in and he jum
ped on my chest and chirped and I tried to put him back into his cage and he became enraged and attacked me. He has never been very agressive except for one small bite to one helper and a bit cranky with a visitor.
This was a full out attack. He hopped on my back and began clawing and biting the back of my head and when I was finally able to get him off, I was a bloody mess and close to shock.
I was able to get out of the room and shut the door and get to the house and called Linda right away. With so much blood I thouht I was probably ripped wide open but because it was all in the back of my head I could not see. But thanks to the good Lord watching over me, it was not serious.... When Linda arrived she was able to se 3 fairly large gashes and some bites and multiple scratches. She said I would need stitches, which didn't make me happy at all, no insurance and all.
We were able to contain him in a live trap and go for medical care for me.
It was not as bad as it felt, and I only had 2 stitches and some steri strips, but the real damage was to my feelings as things have now forever changed as far as Cody and will most probably look for another place for him to go. I am just so grateful that at this point he does not have to be put down and even more grateful it was me and not a helper.
So again, please, before you buy an exotic pet or try to keep a wild animal as a pet, think about this, it could happen to you or one of your kids, or even someone else and then you are looking at a law suit.
Exotic animals and wild animals are NEVER good pets. Please remeber that when you are looking that cute baby!!!
When Linda arrived she was able to se 3 fairly large gashes and some bites and multiple scratches. She said I would need stitches, which didn't make me happy at all, no insurance and all.
We were able to contain him in a live trap and go for medical care for me.
It was not as bad as it felt, and I only had 2 stitches and some steri strips, but the real damage was to my feelings as things have now forever changed as far as Cody and will most probably look for another place for him to go. I am just so grateful that at this point he does not have to be put down and even more grateful it was me and not a helper.
So again, please, before you buy an exotic pet or try to keep a wild animal as a pet, think about this, it could happen to you or one of your kids, or even someone else and then you are looking at a law suit.
Exotic animals and wild animals are NEVER good pets. Please remember that when you are looking that cute baby!!!
Just after I'd finished posting the story on the Coatis of Cumbria, this story sort of fell into my lap within minutes and I thought I'd share the escapes of a coati who just needed to take a leave from its enclosure.
Enjoy.
Coati Escapes! - I don't know how many zoos keep coatis only to find out they share some kind of gene that Houdini apparently had. Coati Eludes Zoo - The coati was probably just attending an underground poker-game with some of the Cumbrian Coatis. Coati STILL Eludes Zoo - Probably stole a cab at this point, took a tour of the country and then ran out of gas before it decided to just... Turn Itself In
Brazilian aardvark.
Funny phrase to describe a coatimundi, isn't it?
That's how my favorite little critter's being described in the UK right now. Especially in a little place called Cumbria.
According to several local news sources, a group of about ten coati have set up camp somewhere in the vicinity of Cumbria and it's a possibility that those ten may multiply. After reading about the hilarious antics of a coati threatening townsfolk long ago (hilarious because I could only imagine the shenanigans that coatis pull on occasion), this could be another incident much in the same vein as what was referred to as the Peel Street Monster from so long ago.
What the hell am I talking about? Read on.
I've read through several accounts of the 'Cumbrian Coatis' or 'Brazilian Aardvarks of Cumbria' and almost all of them seem like a game of telephone only instead of a group of the obvious demographic that regularly partakes of the game with giggles in the sandbox at recess the players are individuals who refer to themselves as journalists. Not everything comes up on the first page of a search, people.
From the research that yours truly has done, it appears that the coatimundi who're living in Cumbria started appearing way back in 2004 when a couple out for a walk reported spotting one. According to a report by Natural England’s Wildlife Management & Licensing Team, one was found that same year and appears to have been destroyed at that time.
Since that time, reports of a group of ten coati keeps circulating. Recently the story was brought to light again. Either it was a slow news day or it helped ease the pain of Cumbrians who'd just suffered through horrendous flooding and a terrible, tax-induced shooting spree by some idiot.
Currently the Cumbrian Coati are like little furry ghosts that are quietly fluttering about in the UK (the link to the left mentions that a zoo contains 27 coatis. After checking out the website for that zoo, coatimundis are not listed as being part of their animals. Sidenote - If ANY zoo in the world has 27 coati? Stay away...the coatis are planning something) Part of me laughs that these little monsters have once again popped up in the media for causing alarm amongst modern civilization. Another part of me is secretly excited and hopes that some actual research will take place so that we can learn more about the troupe of 'Brazilian Aardvarks' that may or not be slowly building an army of snack-snatching marauders in the English country-side.
Dear Cumbrians:
What ever you do should you catch site of one of these creatures? RUN. Run as fast as your desire to live will carry you!
Why? Because according to one eyewitness and media source the Cumbrian Coati is a meat-eating, three-foot-long animal the size of a labrador retriever!
Sleep tight, Cumbrians and remember Peel Street.
I'd heard about this footage a while ago from Mary Stouffer's 'Wild America'. This small clip from the show has made its way to YouTube and I thought I'd share it with all of you who often ask just how aggressive a coatimundi can be. This is a perfect example of how ridiculously formidable a coati can be.
There are a couple of interesting things to notice in this video for those that are curious abouit coatimundi behaviors especially during an event like this.
At around :16 in the video you'll hear the snarl of the jaguar. Watch the coati get startled and you'll notice the tail flair up. This 'fluffing' of the tail (a phrase that almost sounds wrong) is like a gauge that describes just how dangerous the situation is. If a coati is semi-threatened or startled, the tail will only 'fluff' a little. If, on the other hand, the situation is extremely threatening? That tail will actually become so 'fluffed' that it will look like a bottle brush or a giant pipe-cleaner.
When the video reaches :36 after the attack, you'll notice the jaguar has obviously been injured. Take a second to go back and look at the posting entitled the 'Peel Street Monster'. Take a good, long look at the image that's at the top of that post. That image is one upset coatimundi and the full arsenal of this little animals deadly denture set. Four self-sharpening, inch-long canines that can cut through skin like a razorblade (I know from personal experience...but that's a story for another time). Coatimundi also have a VERY serious set of claws that can open up your skin like a sharpened knife through a wet newspaper (again...a story for another time). Because of the coati fighting style, I'm assuming that a vicious laceration from the teeth are damaged the jaguar's paw.
Notice the coatis tail at :43. You'll see it sort of swishing from side-to-side. This is a warning against would-be attackers. Most of the time this is in combination with a noise I really can't describe in words (I'll try to get an audio clip of the noise...you won't forget it). Coatis first defense, like most small animals is the simple rule of the wild...the smaller the creature, the bigger the attitude.
The last thing to notice is something that's always been interesting to me. Like bears, coatis will 'clack' their mouth if they're agitated about something. Watch the coatis mouth just after 1:01 and turn the volume up. You'll see his mouth open very quickly and hear a quick noise. Typically this signals that they're aggravated by something.
This video is amazing to see. What's cooler is being able to see some of the defense tools that coatis use in the wild to protect themselves and their troupe from attack. During my time learning about these animals I've learned that even wolves and jaguars have become prey to an attack from a troop of animals trying to protect the troupe.
Another reason that I'm completely fascinated by this deceivingly cute little creature..who could probably tear my face off in a heartbeat.
That's right, coati fans! Coatis have made an appearance in a videogame! And not just any videogame.
In 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for the Playstation 3, your character Nathan Drake is on a modern day Indiana Jones-esque adventure. During the course of the game, the player will occasionally notice very small flashes of light in out of the way places that denote the location of a 'treasure' that Drake can add to his relics. Two of these relics are a gold coatimundi statue as well as a silver coatimundi statue (see pic)!
Being a long-time gamer and hardcore coatimundi fan, you can't even begin to understand how excited I was when I noticed one of these small flashing objects behind a crate, directed Drake over to it, picked it up and finally saw it come up on my 'items' list! I had no idea that the game contained this little statue and was ecstatic when my inventory list told me I'd just picked up a coatimundi statue! Just. Awesome!
While I only found the silver coati statue, I'll be going back for the other soon.
Just had to share this with all of you coatimundi fans who aren't into playing videogames just because it's kinda cool how this amazing little critter sneaks into just about everything.
Now, game developers: When are we gonna get a game with a coati as the central character? Seriously!
Enjoy the two videos below showing the location and collecting of the statues.
