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Binturongs: Two babies born at Cotswold Wildlife Park
Image source, Cotswold Wildlife Park
Two baby binturongs have been born at Cotswold Wildlife Park and have made an appearance in public.
It is thought that the park is one of only two zoological collections in the UK to have successfully bred Binturong in the last year.
Binturongs, also known as bearcats, originate from South and Southeast Asia
They have whiskers, paws like a bear and a tail a bit like a monkey.
Most unusually they have a distinctive smell which some people compare to buttered popcorn!
The new binturong cubs, Barry and Bennie, were born a couple of months ago to adult binturongs Himala and Dobby.
Himala's babies were born inside a nest box where they spent several weeks out of sight.
Image source, Beth Peacock
Cubs are born with their eyes closed up and rely completely on their mother for the first few months of their life.
Eventually the twins began exploring their home and have recently have started to go into the outdoor area where visitors can see them.
World Binturong Day is held on the second Saturday of May each year and is a day to highlight the threats the animals face in the wild.
Population numbers have declined by 30% in the last 20 years.
They are also listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The main threats they face are deforestation and illegal wildlife trade.