Generally docile when handled, the bearcat nevertheless has sharp claws and teeth that can easily rip through flesh.

[2] It is solitary and mostly active at night; it is arboreal, living in forests, including rainforests, as well as agricultural areas and close to human settlements.

It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of fruits, insects, small mammals and birds.

[3] Furthermore, Palawan is a hub for illegal wildlife trade, with Palawan binturongs being seized on a regular basis (The IUCN lists the Palawan binturong as Vulnerable; the main threats it faces are destruction and degradation of primary rainforest, hunting for meat, use in traditional medicines and as pets, and accidental or intentional snaring, which is exacerbated by negligible penalties for hunting and trade in some countries.

), are live-trapped and kept in farms in Indonesia for the manufacture of civet coffee, with poor living conditions leading in significant mortality.