Detailed welfare considerations for binturong scent communication, territory marking, and environmental enrichment in zoo settings.
Olfactory welfare is an often-overlooked dimension of zoo animal wellbeing. For species like binturongs that communicate primarily through chemical signals, maintaining the ability to mark territory and receive olfactory information from conspecifics is a fundamental behavioral need. Zoos that over-sanitize exhibits or prevent mark deposition deprive these animals of a primary sense modality. Best practice involves preserving some scent marks between cleanings, providing olfactory enrichment items, and designing exhibits with natural substrate that retains scent effectively.