BY KIM ATIENZA
On “TV Patrol” recently, I called attention to the vulnerability of the Palawan bearcat, better known as binturong in the island.
Neither a bear nor a cat, the binturong is fast becoming endangered due to habitat destruction and poaching for its medicinal uses.
There is also growing demand for its fur in the pet trade.
Google says that although sightings of binturong continue, its population has been greatly reduced.
Do bearcats make good house pets?
Try nyo lang, although it isn’t common practice, popular, or recommended.
In some Asian countries, however, binturongs are kept as house companions.
A word of warning: They are not domesticated. They can also be difficult to care for because they are arboreal, nocturnal.
They cannot be litter-trained, too.
According to a 2016 study, bearcats smell like popcorn.
Hot, buttered popcorn!
What can be better smelling than that?
A new study published in The Science of Nature found this bewitching scent is produced by a chemical compound in their urine.
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ATING ALAMIN: Nakakain ba ang algae?
Yes, we do eat algae, ito yung mga seaweed na paborito natin sa mga restaurant.
Algae is around us. It grows everywhere, in different shapes and colors.
At sea, they form the beginning of a food chain.
Eaten by lobsters and crabs, which are then eaten by fish, which are then eaten by whales and humans.
In Scandinavia, red seaweed jam is a delicacy.
Substances from seaweed are used to produce textile, medicines, and yes, even ice cream!
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TRIVIA PA MORE (Various Sources): Baby scorpions can be frozen overnight and still survive.
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Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.
