Binturongs are large arboreal viverrids from Southeast Asian forests whose welfare in zoos requires significant climbing infrastructure, fig-heavy diets, and social housing management.
Binturong welfare in zoos is shaped by their arboreal lifestyle and the central importance of their prehensile tail for movement and balance. Enclosures without substantial climbing infrastructure — branches, platforms, rope structures — at multiple heights cannot meet binturong behavioral needs, and ground-dwelling binturongs show restricted behavioral repertoires. Dietary provision of figs is both nutritionally important and behaviorally enriching, as binturongs in the wild spend much of their time locating and processing fig trees. Social management is variable — binturongs can be solitary or social depending on individual temperament, and compatibility must be assessed before pair housing. Their nocturnal activity pattern means that daytime zoo visitors see reduced behavior; nocturnal house management significantly improves both welfare and visitor experience by aligning observation opportunities with the species activity cycle.