ZooNooz Article - SEPTEMBER 2007

Now we are three

Story by Darcy Shedden. Photographs Bobby-Jo Vial

Baby Indah

On April Fools' Day, Taronga keepers were able to watch on video the birth of one of the cutest baby animals born in the zoo so far this year. At 6:15 in the morning, Pepper, our 14-year-old female Binturong, gave birth to a beautiful female cub. The first view of the youngster was a single paw, stretched out above her mother's thick, black fur - giving rise to some very big smiles from our Wild Asia keepers, and possibly a very self-satisfied grunt from our male Binturong, Emas. This baby "bear-cat" is now named Indah, which means "beautiful" in the language of her native country, Malaysia.

One of the difficulties of many captive breeding programs is the tendency of some animals to regard others as family rather than mating material. Luckily, this was not a problem with Pepper and Emas. The keepers had observed them mating on a number of occasions (by all accounts, a fairly torrid exercise involving multiple couplings over a three-day period) but with no result. This time though, they were convinced that something was very different. They felt sure that Pepper's behaviour towards Emas, and his towards her, had changed dramatically from their normal, fairly casual, manner. Both showed a closeness in behaviour not seen before, staying in constant contact throughout the day and night, functioning as a pair rather than as two individuals. So, as the three month pregnancy neared its end, the video camera started rolling in the nesting box and captured the exciting event - the first Binturong born at Taronga in many years.

Emas and Pepper

Following current husbandry techniques, the new family was monitored, but not disturbed, for almost two weeks after the birth. Keepers would occasionally catch sight of Indah protectively cocooned in Pepper's luxuriously fluffy tail. They saw that she had been born with a full coat of black fur, with her father's silver streaks rather than her mum's golden highlights. Also that within days of her birth, her eyes were fully open and she was already very active and quite vocal. It was only when she reached twelve days that she had her first weigh-in and physical checkup by the zoo vets and was given a perfect bill of health.

On May 30, weighing approximately two kilograms (about the size of a Ringtail Possum) and with mum "talking" constantly to her, Indah made her first excursion out into the massive fig tree in the exhibit. Under the watchful eyes and guiding tails of her attentive parents, she immediately showed her prowess in the tree, only occasionally looking wobbly. Keepers also began to notice trails in the grassy areas at the base of the tree, showing that the family was now spending at least some of the night on the ground. As so little is known of Binturong behaviour in the wild, keepers record all of the different activities for future reference.

Mother and child

Even though both of Taronga's Binturong births have produced only one offspring, multiple births of up to four cubs are possible (the female has four nipples). In the wild, it appears that the male stays with the female and helps to raise the young, and that the family stays together for quite some time. Emas is certainly showing himself to be a co-operative father. He instinctively seems to know that Indah needs constant care and protection. He is also perfectly happy to allow his ear to be used as a "teething ring" by his playful daughter!

Luckily for dad, she is now gnawing on bits of food put out for her parents, so occasionally she does give his ears a bit of a rest.

Young "binties" are fully grown at approximately eighteen months and females can breed at two years of age. In nature, it is believed that the youngsters would wander off at this time seeking a mate, and mum would then consider having another offspring. Here in the zoo, Indah will most likely have a contraceptive implanted under her skin until it is determined if she will leave Taronga to become a member of another breeding program. At present, there is no formal stud book for Binturongs, however many zoos are now beginning to keep records of their Binturongs' breeding histories as well as documenting their breeding habits. Our video footage will certainly contribute to this growing collection of knowledge.

Except during feed time, this special little girl can mostly be found snuggled up with her mother and father in the box facing the boardwalk in the Wild Asia exhibit.

You may have to look fairly carefully to make out her body under all her parents' fur, but when her gorgeous face does pop up, it certainly is worth waiting for.

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