The birthday party was wild. Sure we had fun, but one of the guests of honor was wild - a real wild animal. This coati mundi was rescued, nurtured back to health and now lives in the woods yet sticks close to family that saved it. What coati mundi - pizote - shouldn’t get a few gifts for his one-year adoption day?

Coatis are related to the raccoons. It’s easy to see the resemblance in the movements and appetite. This fellow was especially fond of sugar. If you are traveling and stay in a beach house or rental cabin with an open-air kitchen, these critters will walk right in and take what they can get. Some like salty; some like sweet. If you don’t lock it up, and this omnivore can smell it and climb to it, consider it there’s.

So it’s not recommended to feed these animals. They can become a little too aggressive over time if they know people give them food. This farm has in-depth experience with animals and is helping to reintroduce the animal back into an environment where it will thrive. Unfortunately, the trauma many of these animals go through such as loss of their mother or abuse (because someone thought it was a cute pet), disrupts the natural instincts of the animals and they will only be able to return to the wild in a part-time manner.

Coco got a good scratch on her arm when the Coati wandered over to see if she was holding out with more sugar. I told her no matter how “cute” and tame the animal looks, it still is a wild animal and petting them can be a tough exercise if not handled by an experience person.

Some day, if the right female comes along, this guy may wander off in the woods and never come back. If so he’ll probably be ready to live it up in the wild. Until then, more sugar anyone?