ATLANTA — Zoo Atlanta gave animal lovers a sneak peek of its new binturongs on Wednesday.
The newborns - known as bintlets - haven't made their formal debut yet. The zoo posted a photo of one of the babies on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Though zoo officials didn't identify which of the three offspring was photographed, it did tease that people would be learning more about them soon.
The babies were born to mother Bramble on Aug. 31 and were the first binturongs to be born at the zoo.
First-time mom Bramble did not initially accept her offspring, zoo officials said in a Sept. 8 news release. However, two have joined their mother and are nursing. The third is being temporarily cared for by the Animal Care and Veterinary Team.
Binturongs are born blind and entirely dependent on their mothers, according to the zoo. They're roughly the size of squirrels and will be kept "behind the scenes" until they are large enough to navigate the outdoor habitat in the zoo's Complex Carnivores zone.
“Many of our visitors have never heard of or seen a binturong, so we have a valuable opportunity to introduce a species that is not only intrinsically valuable in its own right in its wild ecosystem, but which also has an important conservation message to share," said Dr. Jennifer Mickelberg, the zoo's vice president of collections and conservation.
Binturongs are also known as “bearcats” since they look like a bear and a cat - but are neither. They are also identified by their distinctive scent, which some people say resembles popcorn or corn chips. They are native to southern and southeast Asia.
