Wild Civets of Doi Chang Village

There are three types of civets that inhabit the Doi Chang Village. These animals live free and wild within the natural habitat of the village and at no time are the civets caged or force fed.

The Asian Palm Civet (or Common Palm Civet) is a highly adaptive animal that can live in dense forests, agricultural areas and even alongside humans. It weighs around 3.2 kilograms (7 pounds), has a body length of 53 centimetres (21 inches) and its long, stocky body is covered with coarse, shaggy hair that is usually a greyish colour. This civet has black markings on its feet, ears and muzzle and three rows of black markings on its main body. The markings on its face resemble a raccoon's facial markings and its sharp claws which allow it to climb trees. The Common Palm Civet is a nocturnal omnivore. Its primary food source is fruit such as chiku, mango and of course coffee cherries. They also will eat reptiles, eggs and insects as well.

The Masked Palm Civet lives in forests, especially tropical rainforest and temperate deciduous forest and is a nocturnal solitary predator, which stays principally in trees. It weighs between 3.6 to 6 kilograms (8 to 13.2 lbs) and its body length can vary from 51 to 76 centimetres (20 to 28 inches). Its fur is orange-brown to gray, has no spots or stripes but the face has a black and white variation: a white strip stretches from the forehead to the nose, surrounded by two black stripes, but the eyes are surrounded by white spots. The cheeks and the sides of the nose are black. The Masked Palm Civet is an omnivore, but the largest component of its diet is fruit. In addition it eats small vertebrates (such as squirrels and birds) as well as insects.

The Binturong (also known as the Asian Bearcat) primarily inhabits the trees of a forest canopy in rainforests. Its average weight ranges between 9 and14 kilograms (20 to 31 lb) and the average length ranges 60 to 96 centimetres (24 to38 inches). The tail is nearly as long as the body and its ears are small and rounded. It has small eyes and coarse, thick black fur. The Binturong is nocturnal and sleeps on branches. It eats primarily fruit, but also has been known to eat eggs, shoots, leaves, and small animals, such as rodents or birds.

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