Binturongs, also known as bearcats, are unusual Southeast Asian carnivores with specialized behavioral and environmental needs that make thoughtful enrichment and habitat design critical for their welfare in captivity.
Binturongs present interesting welfare challenges for zoos because their specialized arboreal lifestyle and nocturnal activity pattern are easily neglected in standard exhibit designs. A binturong that lacks adequate vertical complexity and climbing opportunities is denied the behavioral opportunities that form the core of its natural daily life. Enrichment programs for binturongs should include a wide variety of fruit and prey-scent items, complex climbing structures at multiple heights, scent enrichment to stimulate their well-developed olfactory system, and opportunities for the exploratory and foraging behaviors that occupy wild binturongs for extended periods. Nocturnal housing areas with appropriate lighting schedules allow binturongs to express their natural activity pattern rather than being disrupted by daytime visitor schedules.