Summary of A Tale of Three Bintlets:
The content discusses the journey of the Zoo’s baby binturongs, also known as billets. The breeding behaviors between the binturongs Baloo and Bramble were observed in early 2023, but there were doubts about their successful breeding when no pregnancies were seen. However, in August, Bramble was confirmed to be pregnant with at least two fetuses. The birth plan was prepared, and on August 31, Bramble went into labor and gave birth to three billets. However, she showed no interest in nursing them, so all three billets had to be hand-reared. Eventually, Bramble showed interest in two of the billets and successfully nursed them. The third billet had to continue being hand-reared. Through research and conversations with other institutions, the Zoo developed a plan to reintroduce the third billet to Bramble and her siblings. The goal was to follow a successful model of reintroduction that had been done with binturongs in the past.
October 25, 2023: It’s been a while since we discussed the Zoo’s baby binturongs or billets. A lot has happened with these guys over the past few weeks, but I guess I will start at the beginning to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Starting in early 2023, we started to see breeding behaviors between the Zoo’s two binturongs, Baloo and Bramble. This was great because we brought them together here at the Zoo specifically for breeding. You would be surprised how often that doesn’t work out, though. Everything appeared to go great, and we hoped to have possible binturong babies in the spring.
When April rolled around and we didn’t see anything, we started having doubts. These doubts were made known when we started seeing breeding behaviors once again. Now, all the expectations shifted to early summer. We were ready when early summer came along, but again, nothing. We did not see strong breeding behaviors between them then, so our expectations were not very high heading into the fall.
As they say, though, “Expect the unexpected.” In early August, we noticed that Bramble had put on some weight, and she was a bit more hungry than normal. We decided to play it safe and get an ultrasound image of her so that we could rule out the possibility of her being pregnant. Through the hard work of the Zoo’s Carnivore keepers and Vet staff, we conducted a voluntary ultrasound, which showed that she was indeed pregnant with at least two fetuses. We conducted multiple ultrasounds throughout the month, which all showed two fetuses. The vets always inserted the caveat that one might be hiding, but they could only see two.
At this point, all preparations ramped up to ensure we were ready by the end of August. We installed the nest boxes and cameras, procured a lot of bedding materials for the boxes as well as the floors, and dusted off and updated the birth plan that was written earlier in the year.
Many people ask just how we know what will happen during these births. This is a great question. Here at the Zoo, we’ve never had baby binturongs, but we all knew what to expect. Believe it or not, binturongs, along with many other zoo animals, come with a manual. These Animal Care Manuals are developed through the collaboration of many experienced members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). They discuss nutrition, veterinary care, habitat construction, transport, temperature constraints, reproduction, etc. While not every question can be answered using these, they are a very important guidebook when working with these animals.
In this manual, as well as from conversations we had with other institutions, it was determined that although binturong mothers could have 1-5 billets at a time, they typically could or would only raise two successfully. Because of this, many zoos will need to pull one of the billets for hand rearing. The problem with hand rearing is that these animals typically become imprinted on humans and have a rough time integrating back into the animal population. We kept this section included in our birth plan, but we didn’t think we would end up needing it.
As time passed and we entered Bramble’s birthing window, we were all on high alert, looking for any changes in her behavior. You never know what to expect from a first-time mom. On the morning of August 31, the keepers reported that she did not consume her diet from the previous night and was not interested in her morning food either. This just so happened to be one of the signs we were looking for, so we knew we were close. We then noticed that she was entering active labor.
The manual stated that binturongs typically have their babies overnight, so even though we were ready, we had some time. Bramble decided not to wait until the evening, however- she decided that a good time was right around lunch. The first billet arrived, and all was well. We just had to wait a little while for the second one to arrive, and we should be done for the day. After some more intense labor, the second one came and once again, all was well. Bramble was a good mom by cleaning her babies up, but we had not seen any nursing yet.
We all started celebrating after the birth of the second billet until a text came from one of the keepers watching them that a third billet was confirmed to have been born as well. Although unexpected, we were ready to jump into action due to our birth plan. We decided to give it a little time to see just how things went before we just went in and removed anyone. While Bramble had cleaned up her babies well and was not showing any aggression towards them, she was not nursing any of them. She had had a long, hard labor, and she looked very tired and uncomfortable.
After about an hour or so, she had left her babies and was resting on the other side of her den. While the babies could go a little while without food, they can chill very easily, which is dangerous. Through discussions between the Carnivore and Vet teams, they decided to pull all three billets, two boys and a girl, for hand-rearing, as Bramble had lost all interest in them. This was not a decision that we wanted to make, but we felt it was necessary. It’s a good thing we had everything ready, even though we didn’t think we would need it.
We set up a schedule for feedings every two hours. Those 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. feedings are fun, let me tell you. After that first night, all three billets had eaten multiple times and were nice and warm. We did not want to completely give up on Bramble, as she was showing some good motherly instincts before she walked away. We hoped that she had just needed a good night’s sleep. We placed one of the billets (boy) back with her to gauge her reaction. Upon hearing her baby make some noise, Bramble perked and became very interested. One of the keepers entered the den and handed the baby to Bramble, who accepted it immediately. She grabbed it by the scruff and immediately entered the nest box, where she started to nurse this baby.
Since she was so good with this baby, how would she do with two? We decided to try to introduce a second billet back to Mom. Getting the second billet, the girl, back with her mom, followed the same procedure as the first. Bramble accepted it immediately and hauled it back to the nest box. Within an hour or so, we observed both billets nursing. That was a great relief for all of us. We still had #3, though. He had not gained as much weight overnight as his siblings, so he was not selected for reintroduction.
We decided not to push our luck but instead to go with what our birth plan had laid out. We set in for the long haul with feedings every two hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The little guy, along with his caretakers, had to take a few days to figure each other out, but once that occurred. They developed a strong bond, and he began to thrive. While we all loved caring for him, we knew the best thing for him was to get him back with his mom and siblings as soon as possible.
Through all of our research, we located other institutions that had hand-reared a third billet and had tried to reintroduce it, some with good results, some with bad. We had multiple conversations with these other institutions to pick their brains for everything they knew about binturong babies and introductions.
As it turned out, Bramble was more than ready to be a mom to all three billets despite her initial hesitation. With careful monitoring and support from the keepers and vet staff, all three billets were successfully reintroduced to Bramble and started nursing regularly. It was a heartwarming sight to see Bramble caring for all her babies.
The Tale of Three Bintlets and Kenn H. at the Zoo is a story of perseverance and dedication to the well-being of these amazing creatures. It demonstrates the importance of careful planning, collaboration with other institutions, and preparation for the unexpected in zookeeping.
These billets are now growing and thriving under the watchful eyes of their doting mother, Bramble, and the dedicated keepers and staff at the Zoo. It’s a testament to the hard work and expertise of those involved in their care.
So, if you ever have the chance to visit the Zoo in the coming months, watch for Bramble and her adorable billets. They are a living testament to the wonders of nature and the amazing work done by zoos in preserving and protecting endangered species.
