CIVETS – Viverridae
Owston Palm Civet
Chrotogale owstoni

• Distribution

They are found in mountainous provinces in the north of Vietnam such as Hoa Binh, Lai Cha and Tuyen Quang.

• Habitat

They usually live near a river in primary and secondary forest. They are able to survive close to villages which makes it hard to keep them out of the wildlife trade.

• Behaviour

Owston Palm Civets are mainly active during twilight and at night. They live in the hollows of tree trunks. An adult weighs about 3,5 kg. These civets only pair up in the breeding season, the rest of the year the adults live alone. An Owston Palm Civet is marked with dark bands and stripes on its upper body.
This civet mainly eats invertebrates like insects, worms, etc. In Hanoi Zoo this civet is fed mainly worms but it also gets some fruit and little pieces of meat.
The breeding season of this species is concentrated in the months January until April. The Owston Palm Civet reaches its sexual maturity at an age of 18 to 24 months. The gestation period is 60 to 70 days. The female gives birth to one to four cubs each litter. This civet is an endemic species, there are only a few places where they still remain in the wild. The “Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources” in Hanoi is conducting a conservation program for the Owson Palm Civet in Vietnam, including a cooperative breeding project with Hanoi Zoo. They do not only try to breed this species in captivity, but they also want to know more about this animal, because there is few information about this animal.

Hanoi Zoo