Rarely seen moonrat nursed back to health and released
- 6 years ago
A rarely seen moonrat was nursed back to health and released in Krabi, Thailand.
The creature was found suffering from dehydration and fatigue on April 3, 2018.
A dog had been chasing the moonrat through the undergrowth.
But a passing jogger, Pornchai Sudra, 53, noticed the moonrat and scooped him up before giving it water and bananas to eat.
He stopped the dog from chasing the moonrat and captured it in a cage "because it looked exhausted,” Sudra said. “I called my neighbors to have a look as we had never seen anything like it before.”
“We have never seen a moonrat in this wildlife sanctuary before,” said Wutthipong Chusangrat, the Chief of Khao Prabangkram Wildlife Sanctuary. “This is the first time.”
The moonrat weighed 1 kilogram and was 30-centimeters long and was later seen scurrying away after it was nursed back to health and released into a nearby jungle.
Moonrats can be found in the south of Thailand and Malay peninsula. They release a chemical that smells similar to ammonia to ward off attackers.
“Despite their name, moonrats are not rodents, although they have a slim body, small unpigmented ears, small eyes, and a tapered muzzle with long whiskers,” according to Britannica.com.
The creature was found suffering from dehydration and fatigue on April 3, 2018.
A dog had been chasing the moonrat through the undergrowth.
But a passing jogger, Pornchai Sudra, 53, noticed the moonrat and scooped him up before giving it water and bananas to eat.
He stopped the dog from chasing the moonrat and captured it in a cage "because it looked exhausted,” Sudra said. “I called my neighbors to have a look as we had never seen anything like it before.”
“We have never seen a moonrat in this wildlife sanctuary before,” said Wutthipong Chusangrat, the Chief of Khao Prabangkram Wildlife Sanctuary. “This is the first time.”
The moonrat weighed 1 kilogram and was 30-centimeters long and was later seen scurrying away after it was nursed back to health and released into a nearby jungle.
Moonrats can be found in the south of Thailand and Malay peninsula. They release a chemical that smells similar to ammonia to ward off attackers.
“Despite their name, moonrats are not rodents, although they have a slim body, small unpigmented ears, small eyes, and a tapered muzzle with long whiskers,” according to Britannica.com.