Bearcat awaits her Valentine (From Sutton Guardian)

Chessington Zoo bearcat awaits her French Valentine

7:40am Saturday 14th February 2009 in News By Louise Robertson

Love is in the air for one Chessington Zoo bearcat this Valentines Day following the arrival of a hunky Parisian partner.

Sunti, the first binturong born in the UK for a decade, celebrated her first birthday on January 28 and got her present, an 18-month-old male binturong called Watt, just in time for Valentines Day.

Watt was selected from France to be paired with Sunti on a breeding programme and keepers are hoping the couple will be as successful as Sunti’s mother Jelita and father Awam.

Unfortunately they will have to keep their passion locked up over what is traditionally a day for lovers while Watt spends time locked up in quarantine.

The pair are due to be brought together in the next few weeks.

Zookeeper Sonia Freeman hand reared Sunti at her home after she was rejected by her mother at birth.

She always intended to move Sunti into her own enclosure until a male was ready to join her.

She said: “Sunti is now ready to be paired with a male and we hope that Sunti and Watt will continue the conservation success we had at Chessington Zoo last year.”