Keepers at Edinburgh Zoo are celebrating the birth of Scotland's first binturong cubs, small bear-like animals which smell like popcorn.

The mammals, which are also known as bearcats, are notoriously hard to breed and are native to south east Asia.

A chemical compound in their urine is said to give them the scent of buttered popcorn.

Edinburgh Zoo has announced its female binturong Poppy gave birth to triplets at the end of January.

Alison MacLean, head carnivore keeper at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said: "We are very excited about the arrival of our cubs.

"These are the first binturong to be born in Scotland, so this is a real achievement.

"At first, we thought we had two little ones as our camera outside their den showed four eyes peeking out into the dark so we were very happy to discover we actually had triplets.

"The trio, born at the end of January, have recently started to emerge from their den, though only for small periods of time.

"The cubs are doing well, with their mum Poppy being very attentive."

She added: "We are gradually introducing them to visitors to build up their confidence and they will soon venture outside more regularly during the daytime."

Binturongs are classed as vulnerable in the wild and are threatened by deforestation, with their population declining by a third over the last 18 years.