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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

02/12/22 21:58 PM IST

Binturong

In News 
  • Police and forest officials in the Manipur’s Ukhrul town have been scanning “gambling dens” following reports of wild animals — dead or alive — being offered as prizes for raffle draws.
  • Apart from wild boars and deer, animals such as binturong (an arboreal mammal also known as bearcat), squirrels and flying foxes (bats) have been found to be on offer.
Binturong
  • Binturong, (Arctictis binturong), also called bear cat or cat bear, catlike omnivore of the civet family (Viverridae), found in dense forests of Southeast Asia.
  • It has long shaggy hair, tufted ears, and a long, bushy, prehensile tail. The colour generally is black with a sprinkling of whitish hairs.
  • The binturong is principally nocturnal and crepuscular (that is, active during twilight).
  • It is found most often among the trees, using its prehensile tail as an aid in climbing. It feeds mainly on fruit, such as figs, but it also takes eggs and small animals.
  • In some areas binturongs are tamed and have been reported as being affectionate pets.
  • Its range extends from Nepal, India, and Bhutan southward to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java and eastward to Borneo.
  • Conservation- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES listing: Appendix III
  • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
Source- The Hindu 

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