Keepers at Pana‘ewa Zoo looking to public to help name its latest arrival

Zoo keepers at Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Garden are looking to the public to help them name their latest arrival, a binturong, that traveled nearly 12,000 miles to take up residency in Hilo.

The 11-month-old male binturong came from the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia. Mindy Runnells, Pana’ewa Recreational Complex Administrator, said an animal facility in Europe contacted her about the availability of some animals, including the binturong.

Before his debut, zookeepers look to the public to help them name the animal.

Zoo staff have narrowed it down to four names and are asking the public to vote in their Facebook post with an emoji. Comments will not be counted.

Click here to vote.

The names listed are:

👍🏼 Chandler Bingturong
❤️ Fig (keystone species relationship with the strangler fig)
🥰 Gus (derived from the word bagus meaning handsome in Balinese)
😄 Kalani (of the heavens or sky)

Voting ends today at noon and the winning name will be announced on July 23.

Also known as an Asian bearcat, the animal currently resides behind the scenes at the zoo while staff do introductions with its female binturong, Keoki-Ann, and work on renovating their habitat with a new current habitat has a new shift area, some new platforms and various climbing structures.

Classified as carnivores because of their teeth arrangement, Runnells said binturongs are omnivores. Binturongs are the only carnivores with a prehensile tail and “they love to climb.”

“They will eat meat but love fruit,” Runnells said. “This guy has been a little shy after arrival burn out to be expected, a very long trip here, new keepers, a new language.”

The zoo has housed binturongs in the past. Runnells said their older female died about a year ago, and their current female is about middle-aged.

“so we decided to bring this young male in,” Runnells explained.

Since the binturong has experience living in a zoo, Runnells said he is pretty good with the keepers already as it is examined. The binturong must be touched so it’s comfortable being treated for medical procedures, transfers and getting weights.

The binturong is one among several animals that have come to live at the zoo over the past year. Last fall, staff debuted a new pueo (Hawaiian owl) and a younger i‘o (Hawaiian hawk) that lives behind the scenes at the zoo.

Staff hope to get the hawk out for guests and may start training her on a falconer glove and equipment.

Additionally, the zoo has three white peacocks and staff are looking at a couple of other imports soon.

The petting zoo is also getting a new bunny.