The binturong, also known as the bearcat, belongs to the Viverridae family, an ancient group of small to medium-sized mammals that live in the dense tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. They can be found from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Yunnan in China, and from Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java in Indonesia to Palawan in the Philippines.
Binturongs smell like buttered popcorn due to their scent glands, situated just under the tail. The binturong has been assessed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of a declining population trend. The main threats to binturongs are habitat destruction, hunting, and the illegal wildlife trade.
