A traveler shared a short video on TikTok that showed a rather stunning mammal thoroughly investigating her rental car at a stop in Costa Rica.
In the video by creator Thee Travel Hippie (@theetravelhippie), the animal is seen rummaging through the car before exiting through an open door. A sign in the background places the incident at Arenal Volcano National Park.
“Cause I need my deductible back, he wildn,” the video’s caption reads. “Does anyone know what animal he is?”
Several commenters identified the animal as a pizote, also known as a white-nosed coati, a member of the raccoon family primarily native to Central America and Mexico.
While coatis mostly live in groups, solitary animals tend to be more aggressive and can be violent if they feel in danger. Although the coati in this video does not appear to feel threatened, it is always a good idea to give wild animals their space, as they can be unpredictable.
Several commenters also pointed out that this coati seemed to be looking for food. Particularly in tourist hotspots, animals can become accustomed to receiving snacks from human sources, which can ultimately endanger both people and animal populations. Wild animals can start to expect to find food in city and tourist settings, losing their natural inhibitions and increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflicts.
These interactions can lead to illness, injury, and death for people and animals. In addition to attacks by animals on humans, which can also result in animals being killed, closer proximity of humans and wildlife can exacerbate the spread of disease and diminish the quality of diet for animals, who may end up consuming less-than-nutritious snack foods as well as plastic packaging.
“Yeah, people shouldn’t feed them, but they do anyway, so when you stop your car, lots of them approach you expecting food,” one viewer explained in the comments.
“I once saw a bunch of them showing their babies to tourists at the side of the road, and while people were photographing them, the males were raiding their cars so … yeah this checks out,” underscored another.
You should always prioritize your safety when encountering animals in the wild and ensure that you give them their space. Enabling wildlife to live safely in their natural habitats without disruptive human interference can help to protect people, animals, and the fragile balance of the biodiverse ecosystems so crucial to planetary health.
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