ZooNooz Article - JUNE 2008

Carnivores with charisma

Some strange and wonderful animals inhabit this planet of ours. MAGGIE CRUTCHER meets one such fascinating creature.

Photography Jo Nevin and Bobby-Jo Vial

Taronga Zoo staff and volunteers familiarly call them "binties". In their home range of South-East Asia, they are known as Bear Cats or Malay Civet Cats. But what exactly are they? Scientifically, they are called Binturongs - Old World (eastern hemisphere) carnivores belonging to the Family Viverridae, of which civets, genets and fossas are members. They are tree dwellers and are generally nocturnal.

Non-scientifically, they have variously been described as "something Dr Seuss might have dreamed up" or "looking like gigantic dust mops" which "smell like a freshly cooked batch of popcorn".

Just to confuse us even more, binties, though classed as carnivores, eat mostly fruit. They have a thick black furry coat even though they live in the hot tropics, large whiskers which would do justice to a seal, an endearing face resembling a small bear or a cat, depending on your point of view, and they walk flat-footed and amble like a bear.

Moving around the trees, they have the agility of a cat, although their preferred speed is that of a sloth. And their scent does smell like popcorn! Very strange, but wonderful.

In the wild, Binturongs spend most of their time high in the dense canopy of the rainforest and are therefore rarely seen. They are very careful climbers (it's a long way to the ground), aided by a fifth "limb" - an amazing, prehensile tail. It is this feature which helps define them.

The Binturong is one of only two carnivores in the world and the only Old World mammal to have such a tail. The other is the Kinkajou from South and Central America.

This thick furry tail is muscular with a leathery patch at the tip for extra traction. Young binties can hang upside down supported only by their tail, but at an average of 15 or more kilos, the adults are a little too heavy for this circus act.

However they do come equipped with other tools -paws which grip better than most carnivores and ankles which can turn backwards, giving them the ability to descend trees head first if necessary, using their tail to grip and brake.

During the day, when they sprawl along a branch dozing in the sun (a favourite pastime) you can bet that tail will be gripped around the branch somewhere. And what better aid to a bintie mum, than to have her tail lovingly cocooned around her new offspring for protection.

Speaking of which, female Binturongs are the more dominant of the species. They are bigger and heavier than the males and definitely "wear the pants" in any pairing. Once a pair has mated, which by all accounts is a fairly torrid affair for two to three days straight, the female is pregnant for around 90-92 days. She usually gives birth to one or two cubs, although, rarely, up to six can be born.

Taronga Zoo recently celebrated just such a happy event - the birth of two Binturong cubs on Boxing Day last year - a great Christmas present!

A little female, Impi (Indonesian for dream) and a male, Baru (meaning new) are the latest offspring for resident partners, Pepper and Emas, and keepers are delighted with the way the cubs are progressing.

From 12 days of age, the two cubs were handled by keepers, allowing them to be given their vaccinations more easily when they reached 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age (although like any youngster, they hated being restrained during the procedure). These days, the cubs are no longer handled but they are still hand-fed. They enjoy a variety of fruits such as bananas, kiwi fruit, and apples, which are treated with a special carnivore vitamin powder, ensuring the best for their rapidly growing bodies.

Figs, which in the wild are a large part of the Binturong diet, are a special favourite with Pepper and Emas, but Impi and Baru have turned their noses up at these nutritious fruits. Being carnivores, they are also given meat such as rabbit, chicken, venison and lamb, plus puppy kibble and raw egg. This diet ensures both cubs are steadily gaining weight, although Impi is still relatively small. Nevertheless, she seems to hold her own in tussles with her larger brother and, if she is ever in need of moral support, Mum and Dad are never far away.

In the wild, Binturongs play a significant part in regeneration of their rainforest homes, dispersing seeds via their faecal deposits.

However, as with many rainforest species, they are under threat due to habitat destruction and some poaching and it is likely that they will soon be almost impossible to find in the wild. Therefore, the best way to see these wonderful "popcornsmelling dust mops" is to visit the Wild Asia habitat at Taronga Zoo.

Just follow the scent behind the elephants to their enclosure where Pepper, Emas, Impi and Baru will surely steal your hearts.

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