Snarling porch sitter thought to be a binturong

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Monday, April 22, 2002 | Jeffrey Cohan

[afraidfortherepublic]

It could have been a muskrat, I guess.

[DETAILER]

Make sure it isn't "endangered species" or be prepared to haul it off where no one will ever find it if you do. We have a home in Lake Jackson, Texas, south of Houston. We have nutria and ALLIGATORS running loose in our town/area. There was an 11 1/2 foot long alligator chasing my neighbor and his dog in his backyard a year or so ago. My neighbor grabbed his gun and shot the 'gator, thus saving his life and his dog's life. It wasn't alligator season! He got into a lot of legal trouble for protecting his life from an attacking alligator. So, just be ready to get rid of any carcus after your kill it! The environazis and endangered speciesNazis are everwhere!

Well, hello neighbor- I'm in Louisiana. We've got plenty of nutria and gators here. Nutria are considered pests and are fair game year round. But, like you, we don't dare shoot a gator. And they're literally everywhere around here- any puddle, pond, bog, you name it, that's big enough to support a gator, is likely to have one in it.

I'd still have blasted that Binturong thing though - shouldn't have got on my porch and growled. Self-defense.

[Willie Green]

Just returned from Google and it seem these creatures are nocturnal, quiet dispositioned and make good pets.

You have a rather odd judgement of what makes a "good" pet.

The Google search I performed turned up a Binturong owner's site that had this to say:

Binturongs in captivity can be interesting animals. They are not suitable as house companions due to their size, poor toilet habits and odor. Binturongs secrete a musk that is reminiscent of popcorn or warm cornbread. Unless you want someone to think you live in a tortilla factory, you should reconsider having one in your home. The musk will permeate everything with which they come in contact. The odor is not repulsive but it is overwhelming in a closed environment. We feed ours bananas as a staple, with other seasonal fruits, a sprinkling of vitamins, chicken twice a week and an occasional hard- boiled egg. Cooked carrots, sweet potatoes and similar items may be added. We keep our dry dog food free-choice. We furnish a complete diet and care instructions with all of our animals.

They need a place to nest and a place to climb. They like shelves and wooden boxes. These animals are very strong and animals kept as companions should be neutered and declawed. They can become very moody during breeding season and can begin to bite or threaten. Some animals never do, but the possibility is there.

[Born to Conserve]

"Identify this." Muskrat? They look a lot like beavers, but they have rat tails.

[Catspaw]

Sounds like a muskrat. Near any bodies of water or swamps?

[dagny taggert]

Does anyone know which of the two pictures is more "typical" of the species, or is the thin one immature?

[pabianice]

>>She has scissor-sharp teeth, bear-like claws, thick black fur, seal-worthy whiskers, a long tail and a mean streak. Which just leaves one question: What the heck is she?

Barbara Boxer?

[Dedbone]

They are not suitable as house companions due to their size, poor toilet habits and odor

Same same my brother-in-law.

[Born to Conserve]

I read that they are very variable in appearance. You can tell the parents, siblings and children buy thier faces.

http://www15.brinkster.com/efexotics/binturongtext.html

[maxwell]

Possum?

[headbegger]

tastes like chicken

[Willie Green]

It's a gentle creature and smells like Frito's.

I always associated the Frito smell with dirty socks.

[lowbridge]

Something that ugly, on my porch and growling at me, would get instant 12 gauge relief.

So thats what happened to my mother-in-law.

[dagny taggert]

Thanks. Their picture gallery doesn't seem to be functional. I'll check it later. Thanks for the link.

[Tony in Hawaii]

Don't believe the government coverup! This beast is none other than El Chupacabra!

[Mr. Bird]

ALL YOUR BINTURONG ARE BELONG TO US

[Brewer]

She has scissor-sharp teeth, bear-like claws, thick black fur, seal-worthy whiskers, a long tail and a mean streak.

Hmmmmm, sounds like my mother in law...

[SR71A]

What the HECK is a binturong? I never heard of that before...

Well, there are days when I've been right, but other days when I've binturong.

[SwatTeam]

Was he ramblin'?