In the dwindling forests of the Philippines lives a fuzzy creature with a squat body, a prehensile tail and long, white whiskers. The Binturong is a curious animal, its anal gland secretions smell like buttered popcorn.
The binturong, also known as a bearcat, typically lives in areas between northeast India and the Philippines, but its habitat is being greatly threatened by habitat loss due to logging and agribusiness, especially the oil palm industry, Mongabay reports. It is also hunted for bushmeat, traditional medicine and the pet trade. A local coffee, made from beans that pass through a binturong’s digestive system, is also valued.
Because this extremely rare mammal has been referred to as a “low-profile” species, it has, in turn, long suffered as one without protection, the NRDC reports.
Conservation groups want to help this incredible animal, but without proper knowledge, it is becoming increasingly difficult. As ABConservation reports, “the majority of available data on its behavior, reproduction or diet comes from studies in captivity and only three studies were conducted in the wild, which gives only a vague insight of the size of its territory, its diet or interactions between individuals.”
Further, the binturong lives high in the trees and is mostly active at night, making conventional study methods unable to provide accurate and reliable information.
Unless we are able to learn enough about these animals and their habitats, they’ll soon be in extreme danger because of what humans have done to their homes.
You can help make a difference. Sign the petition below asking the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to further invest in trap cameras to help give conservationists the information they need to help the binturong!
