LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Another rare animal is now on exhibit at the Louisville Zoo.
Bianca, a 1-year-old female binturong or "bearcat," is a mammal native to Southeast Asia. She comes to the zoo from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Guests can find her at the Louisville Zoo's Islands pavilion. She's settled into the habitat that once housed the prehensile-tailed porcupines, officials said.
"Since joining the Zoo, Bianca has quickly charmed her care team with her curiosity and agility," the zoo said Thursday. "Keepers note she is enthusiastic to interact during training sessions and loves climbing the various levels of twisting branches and wooden platforms in her newly designed space."
Known as bearcats, binturongs are nocturnal and live in the rainforest of Southeast Asia. They are known for a unique scent, which smells like buttery popcorn.
Their diet consists of mostly insects, birds and fruit -- although they are considered carnivores.
According to the zoo, these mammals have a "prehensile tail," which is capable of grabbing objects and can act like a fifth limb to navigate the forest.
"Binturongs are listed as vulnerable in some parts of their range and endangered in others," officials add. "They face threats from habitat destruction, poaching for traditional Asian medicines, and the fur and pet trades. In some areas, they are also considered to be a delicacy and are hunter for food."
Palm oil production is also damaging the rainforests where binturongs live.
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