# Zookeepers baffled by mysterious critter



## Australis (Sep 22, 2011)

> A furry orange-and brown spotted critter with protruding red eyes is baffling zookeepers in China after it was handed in to them by an anonymous man.
> 
> Zookeepers from the city of Wenling have not been able to identify the creature and now believe they may have stumbled across a new type of monkey or possum, Daily Mail reports.
> 
> ...




Another article claimed the zoo keepers thought it might be a squirrel or small rat! come on :lol: I wonder if maybe this is just a zoo trying to get some local exposure, and the media might of latched on... and Chinese whispers began (pun intended).


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## HoffOff (Sep 22, 2011)

What is it?


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## noni (Sep 22, 2011)

is it a cus cus? he's pretty cute


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## Carnelian (Sep 22, 2011)

I'm not sure who is worse the zoo for not knowing or the media for not researching before publishing an article. It is pretty darn obvious what it is even though I have never seen one in real life. I do wonder how it ended up in China????


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## MathewB (Sep 22, 2011)

I think it's a couscous


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## Carnelian (Sep 22, 2011)

It is a spotted Cuscus.


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## miss2 (Sep 22, 2011)

retards


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## Serpentess (Sep 22, 2011)

Hahaha. The closest they can call it is a squirrel or rat? They even suggested monkey. That's pathetic for so-called 'zoologists'. Maybe they should research marsupials a bit better.


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## Australis (Sep 22, 2011)

It looks like a Cuscus to me.. i wouldn't be too harsh on the Zookeepers.
But... if they were waiting for it to grow to help ID it lol :s .. feeding it on squirrel food :lol:






Cuscus - Cuscus Habitat


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## Waterrat (Sep 22, 2011)

I hope that's his temporary accommodation.


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## miss2 (Sep 22, 2011)

Spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus) nom nom nom


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## fugawi (Sep 22, 2011)

Do you have a link to the original article?


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## Australis (Sep 22, 2011)

fugawi said:


> Do you have a link to the original article?



Im normally pedantic about including it, oops.

Zookeepers baffled by mysterious critter


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## Jackrabbit (Sep 22, 2011)

chantelle_savage said:


> Hahaha. The closest they can call it is a squirrel or rat? They even suggested monkey. That's pathetic for so-called 'zoologists'. Maybe they should research marsupials a bit better.



Does Google work in China?


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## miss2 (Sep 22, 2011)

this might sound dumb but do people keep these guys as pets?


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## Australis (Sep 22, 2011)

Jackrabbit said:


> Does Google work in China?



That is likely a fair point.. their internet isnt as free as ours.. and i think the government hates google :lol:.

But... that said, i would expect a couple of field guides would have to be on hand.


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## grimbeny (Sep 22, 2011)

and Chanel 9 has the most popular news broadcast... its a scary world


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## D3pro (Sep 22, 2011)

The're great on burgers


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## ingie (Sep 22, 2011)

D3pro said:


> The're great on burgers


D3pro, you'd eat ANYTHING on a burger lol *refers to picnic thread*


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## D3pro (Sep 22, 2011)

Sure will... might even put two bread slices on you ingie  :lol:


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## jordo (Sep 22, 2011)

chantelle_savage said:


> Hahaha. The closest they can call it is a squirrel or rat? They even suggested monkey. That's pathetic for so-called 'zoologists'. Maybe they should research marsupials a bit better.



They're not zoologists, they're animal keepers, both very different


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## Serpentess (Sep 22, 2011)

jordo said:


> They're not zoologists, they're animal keepers, both very different


_Wenling Zoo manager Wang Gang told news website SINA zoologists had not been able to identify the creature.
"I have consulted animal experts from Hanghou, Shanghai and Wenzhou, but right now no one is able to tell me what this little creature is called, " Mr Wang said.


_Animal keepers may not be zoologists, but the zoologists they consulted are claiming to be zoologists. I'm sure the 'animal experts' could have done a better job too.


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## Colin (Sep 22, 2011)

looks like Spilocuscus maculatus spp


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## Joshua-Tree (Sep 22, 2011)

Keepers have said they will continue to monitor the animal's development in the hope that it may grow into something more recognisable.

they think its a pokemon and its gonna transform!! LOL


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## pyrodarknessanny (Sep 22, 2011)

pokemon ? no way!
it is clearly a mogwai! some one should tell them not to get it wet or feed it after midnight


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## Joshua-Tree (Sep 22, 2011)

hahaha!!


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## Tassie97 (Sep 22, 2011)

as soon as i saw it i thought cus cus lol


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## Firedrake (Sep 22, 2011)

So who's gonna email these zoologist guys and let them in on the big secret? Gotta say it's pretty cute


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## Egernia (Sep 22, 2011)

Having worked in a zoo in China for a while I have a bit of an understanding as to why this has happened.

The zoo in question is in a small city. As far as zoos go it would equate to a very small animal park here in Australia.

Zoos are run by the local governments in China and the staff that work at the zoos are government staff. They may have no knowledge or even interest in animals, it is just a government job like any other.

Some of the other cities mentioned do have some 'qualified' staff as far as animal husbandry and veterinary qualifications but not what we would know as zoologists or even zoo keepers.

As far as where the animal would have come from it would have been the illegal pet trade. It would likely have come over the border in the south of China from another south east Asian country or perhaps even Hong Kong. It is quite amazing what shows up in street markets in that part of the world.

Google is often blocked in China so they may not have been an avenue open to them although a quick search on their comparison sina.com should have enabled them to actually identify the mystery creature. In that respect that are probably no different to government workers in many other countries of the world.


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## nico77 (Sep 22, 2011)

chantelle_savage said:


> Hahaha. The closest they can call it is a squirrel or rat? They even suggested monkey. That's pathetic for so-called 'zoologists'. Maybe they should research marsupials a bit better.



They were trying to ID it by taste  "hhmmm its a bit like monkey"


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## GeckPhotographer (Sep 23, 2011)

I can understand them not being able to narrow down a species. I mean if you've never seen a picture or heard of a Cuscus then it's difficult. But monkey, or rat? A zoologist should be able to narrow it down better than that. Anyone not getting to the marsupial level is probably not qualified.


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## stusnake (Sep 23, 2011)

You'd be surprised what ends up in the pet trade in other countries


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## miss2 (Sep 23, 2011)

does anyone know if these guys are kept as pets? have seen one article saying great pets and one saying a big no no lol


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