The pair of binturongs, also known as bearcats and native to southeast Asia, had absconded from their enclosure, and the Nicobar pigeons, found in the islands of the same name and further east, proved easy prey: Two if the three birds were killed outright and the third having to be put down after an injury inflicted by the arboreal viverrids turned necrotic.

The binturongs, who after a competition were named by the public Maimu and Maru, live in a rainforest house that opened at the zoo a few years ago, and their escape bids in recent months had become somewhat of a regular feature.

However, this time it went further than mischief – while they may appear "cute," a binturong's soft muzzle hides 36 to 40 sharp teeth; in their natural habitat, Nicobar pigeons have few predators, and roost in large flocks at night.

Their iridescent green-blue feathers also make them stand out.

The binturongs have reportedly climbed out of their enclosure at the zoo four times since August this year — the first during the Ironman event in Rocca al Mare, when noise from a nearby stage is thought to have driven them to seek somewhere quieter — and, after a mesh-covered enclosure failed to confined them, in October. They now await relocation, something which the zoo had planned anyway. Initially they were both thought to be female, but it later turned out one of the binturongs is a male.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!