Marbled Polecats!!

[Al]

Has anyone seen this species recently in a zoo!? ISIS lists only a handful of collections with them! Ive been given the task of monitoring the species which will become an EEP soon and want to make sure I havent missed any collections out! Enclosure size/design and animal behaviour would all be useful! Thanks!!

 

[kiang]

Edinburgh keep a pair, they are kept in the former dwarf mongoose enclosure in the same small carnivore complex as the margay and binturong next to the polar bear enclosure.
Their enclosure consists of a darkened indoor area about 2m x 3m which has been provided with a natural substrate and facilities for climbing and tubes for hiding in Which hey do very well.
Their outdoor enclosure is another glass fronted affair 3m x 5m both sizes are an estimation, this enclosure has fake termite mounds in it from the former inhabitants and tussocks of tall grass.
And true to their secretive nature, i have never seen them in this enclosure!

 

[Al]

Thanks kiang! Edinburgh is the first and only time ive ever seen them! Its a nice enclosure and i dont like to boost but i got to feed them!

 

[kiang]

Are Belfast thinking of getting them?
No of course i'm not jealous! (not)

 

[Writhedhornbill]

I think that innsbruck (Alphen zoo, Innsbruck) have them, but I'm not 100% sure...

I tend to skip over these type of animals...

 

[Al]

When the EEP or ESB is set up then i think we would almost definately get several pairs!

 

[bloodycurtus]

a place called tropical wings in essex has got a pair and breed them last year i saw the babys in i think about august fantasic animals

 

[Jana]

I think the only place in my country where they are currently held is Zoopark Chomutov (listed on ISIS). Zoo in Jihlava used to have some, but now they dont (at first they received animals from Chomutov +-2001, and later on two young pairs from Novosibirsk zoo in 2004).

I have never seen them in Chomutov, but it is probabaly because I visit this place only during cold months. Theirs outside enclosure is about 2x4m (rought estimation) with a glas-front, with thick layer of soil to burrow in and grassy. They had some offspring in last years.

 

[Paradoxurus]

They seem to be more popular (historically anyway - maybe that is changing) in Eastern and Central European Zoos - maybe they were just more easily acquired by these places considering their range. Poznan seemed to be doing well with them. I saw them there a few years ago. I'm pretty sure Lenningrad has them too and almost certainly other Russian collections unaffiliated to ISIS.