Engaged
coming
Fall
this
2021
,
We know that the wedding industry has been impacted immensely due to the pandemic .
In turn , we have decided to delay the publishing of our 2021 Engaged in Southern New England issue to September 2021 .
stay in touch
,
@ EngagedSNE
in Southern New England set of claws and a lengthy prehensile tail .
“ All the things you need to be a total badass , right ? Yet they ’ re mostly fructivores . They ’ ve got the dentition of carnivores , but they prefer fruit .”
The zoo has three total : papa Ricky , mama Poppy and baby Thistle , though Thistle is just as big as her dad . Ironically , Thistle was the smallest of three kits born back in March of 2019 , always the last to get her mother ’ s milk .
“ We brought her to the hospital and she was hand-reared for eight weeks . We then successfully reintroduced her back to the family , which is fantastic because binturong are not well represented in zoos ,” Fugate says . “ They ’ re used a lot in education , mostly females because the males tend to get aggressive . But once females are taken out as kits and trained for education , they ’ re not part of the breeding program anymore . AZA zoos are trying to bring them back . So , Thistle being able to think of herself as a binturong , not a person , and to eventually breed … It ’ s pretty important .”
The only problem ? Like her siblings before her , Thistle was meant to relocate to another zoo for breeding purposes , but , as with most things nowadays , COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into things .
Moreover , the animal moving system is like a domino effect : Zoos often have to wait for an animal to move out before they can move one in . If one zoo is backed up , many more are often affected . Expense is another hindrance , especially when many facilities are tightening their budgets . Many animals ready to leave the nest , like Thistle , end up stuck in limbo .
But for now , she doesn ’ t seem too bothered . Outside , Fugate coaxes the girls onto exhibit ; he jokingly calls Thistle a rotten kid for stubbornly refusing to leave her indoor nap spot . She and Poppy eventually lope out at the promise of snacks , and I see that their claws are well-suited for climbing the jungle gym-like structure in their enclosure . “ Thistle , the little devil , was on top of this structure within three days of coming out here for the first time ,” Fugate says . “ I had to go up with a pole saw and trim back the branches as much as possible so she wouldn ’ t try and jump and hurt herself .”
As if summoned , Thistle comes down to take a banana from Fugate ’ s outstretched hand , placing her paw on his forearm to steady herself . Though the binturong are
140 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JANUARY 2021