Binturongs — large, slow-moving viverrid carnivores — are increasingly kept in zoos. Their arboreal lifestyle and distinctive scent gland biology require specialised welfare management.
Binturong welfare in zoo settings requires careful attention to their arboreal nature and nocturnal lifestyle. As prehensile-tailed climbers that spend most of their lives in forest canopy, binturongs in enclosures without adequate elevated structure and climbing opportunities are behaviourally restricted in fundamental ways. Their slow, deliberate movement and apparent placidity can mask stress — daytime handling or disturbance disrupts circadian rhythms and increases chronic stress. Scent marking behaviour is an important natural activity requiring suitable marking substrates and the space to maintain territories. Diet variety matters: binturongs are opportunistic omnivores that benefit from fruit diversity, invertebrate enrichment, and occasional animal protein. Zoo binturong management benefits from good baseline knowledge of natural behaviour that remains incompletely studied.