Florida woman finds exotic kinkajou sleeping on her chest in middle of night

Thursday, January 28, 2016
Woman wake up to kinkajou on her chest
A 99-year-old Florida woman got quite the surprise in the middle of the night when she awoke to find an exotic animal on her chest.

MIAMI, Fl. -- A 99-year-old Florida woman got quite the surprise in the middle of the night when she awoke to find an exotic animal on her chest.

The woman said she opened her eyes and saw the animal on her. At first, she thought it may be a cat, but when she realized what it was she screamed and ran.

The animal ran up to the attic and was later captured by one of the woman's friends.

Later, her family took the animal to the South Dade Animal Hospital where they learned it was a kinkajou. The species is a rainforest mammal native to Central and South America that is a distant cousin to raccoons. They are sometimes called "Honey Bears" and are considered docile.

After the story hit the news, Raymond Fernandez claimed it was his lost pet Banana. He was thrilled to get Banana back, and thought she was lost forever.

"I was tenting my house and I had to move her into my brother's house in a temporary cage, and she figured out a way to open it up," Fernandez said. "She's got really good hands."