New animal at Atlanta zoo smells like buttered popcorn. It’s for protection
The smell of popcorn in the air at the Atlanta zoo isn’t what it seems.
It’s coming from the zoo’s newest addition: a carnivore that looks like a mix between a bear and a cat and exudes the distinct smell of buttered popcorn or corn chips, Zoo Atlanta wrote in a Facebook post.
Bramble, a 1-year-old female binturong, recently arrived from a zoo in Rhode Island to breed with another binturong at the Atlanta zoo, Baloo, as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Binturong Species Survival Plan, or SSP.
Binturongs are also known as “bearcats” for their resemblance to the two animals. But their looks are deceiving as they aren’t related to either species, the zoo says. Instead, they’re most closely related to civets, which are lean, cat-like mammals.
Smelling like snack foods serves an important purpose for them in the wild.
The scent, which comes from an oil gland under their tails, marks their territory for other binturongs and fends off potential predators, according to the San Diego Zoo. It can also help them attract a mate.
When they climb through the trees, their tail drags on the branches and leaves behind the scent, the San Diego Zoo says.
But their unique smell isn’t the only way they communicate. They’re also noisy creatures.
They snort or chuckle when they’re happy and hiss, howl or grunt when they’re not, per the San Diego Zoo.
Binturongs are native to southern and southeast Asia and are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their biggest threat is habitat loss, especially for the production of palm oil, according to Zoo Atlanta.
Palm oil is found in household products across the globe and production is concentrated in southeast Asia, which leads to “dramatic population declines” for many species there, the zoo says.
Their meat is considered a delicacy in some places, and hunting and the pet trade also pose a threat.
Binturongs are vital inhabitants of the forests where they live.
Though they’re classified as carnivores, the San Diego Zoo says they mostly eat fruit. When they poop, they spread the seeds from those fruits and help replant the rain forest. They also eat rodents, which helps with pest control.
The Binturong SSP works to sustain binturongs living in North American zoos and to maintain their genetic diversity. The program recommended that Bramble breed with Baloo, Zoo Atlanta says.
Bramble is still getting used to her new environment and hasn’t met Baloo. There’s also no guarantee the public will be able to see her yet, the zoo says.
“We’re excited to welcome Bramble to Zoo Atlanta. We find that many of our guests have never heard of a binturong, so we have a valuable opportunity to acquaint our visitors with a species they may have never known about or thought to protect had they not visited Zoo Atlanta,” Jennifer Mickelberg, vice president of collections and conservation at the zoo, said in a news release.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 3:14 PM with the headline "New animal at Atlanta zoo smells like buttered popcorn. It’s for protection."
