On December 17, the Management Board of Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve (Quang Binh) announced that for the first time, a rare civet (also known as a weasel bear) was discovered in the forest.
This binturong was recorded by a camera trap while moving on the ground. This is the first binturong ever recorded in Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve.
According to the Management Board of Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve, the binturong has a body and fur quite similar to a bear, so it is often mistaken for a bear. The genus name Arctitis (bear - weasel) is a combination of arktos - bear and iktis - weasel, sometimes they are called weasel bears.
The body length of the Binturong ranges from 60 to 95 cm, and most of its fur is jet black except for the white muzzle. The fur of the Binturong is long, coarse and shaggy, and the tail is long, bushy, with a large base and tapering towards the tip.
Previously, there were quite a lot of civets in Vietnam, but now they only appear in the Central Highlands, Southeast, Lai Chau...
Binturong is an endangered, precious, and rare wild animal according to the Vietnam Red Book of Animals.
Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve has a total area of over 22,210 hectares, located in the southwest of Quang Binh province, bordering the Vietnam - Laos border.
Preliminary statistics from the Management Board of Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve show that this area is currently home to 76 species of animals and 214 species of birds...
