MELBOURNE - Police thought it was a panther, but it was just a naughty bearcat lucky to be alive after his early morning escape from Melbourne Zoo.
The male binturong, also known as a bearcat, was seen scampering across the road by a motorist on Monday before climbinga tree on the corner of The Avenue and Walker St at Parkville, in Melbourne's inner-north, Victoria police said.
Senior Constable Jenny McDonald, of Carlton police station, said she and her partner, who were called to investigate, initially thought they were dealing with a panther.
Police, with help from a vet at the zoo and an animal welfare officer from the lost dogs' home, were able to subdue the bearcat after securing a noose around its neck.
Acting supervisor of the carnivore section at Melbourne Zoo, Kelly Hobbs, said the bearcat was lucky not to have wandered into one of the neighbouring enclosures which housed bears and large cats such as tigers - animals that "like a bit of a midnight snack".
