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Meerkats move over

18 January 2010

Belfast Zoo’s two new baby meerkats said ‘move over’ to the established group of eight, as they emerged from their cosy home in the ground last week and introduced themselves to zoo staff.

Meerkats are born blind and emerge from their burrow approximately 3 weeks after birth. With the recent cold weather, these meerkats preferred to stay in the warmth underground and only surfaced last week. These two recent babies follow on from the three baby meerkats that came into sight in August. With the addition of the latest two, the zoo now cares for ten meerkats.

Meerkats are a type of mongoose. Unlike other mongooses which are solitary and nocturnal, meerkats live in large groups and come out during the day. They are often seen standing up on their hind legs, propped up by their tails, looking out for predatory birds.

Meerkats are found in the savannahs and open plains of southern Africa. They can measure up to 35 centimetres (cm) and their tails can reach 25cm. They weigh up to 730 grams. While the meerkats’ diet is comprised mainly of insects and other invertebrates it will also kill small invertebrates and take eggs and plant matter.

Belfast Zoo Curator, Alyn Cairns, is delighted to welcome two new meerkat babies, saying, “Our meerkats are very popular with the visitors and you can see them more often in the morning. The cute behaviour and small size of these babies, like the ones in August, is sure to delight our visitors once more.”

We have three different adoption packages at the zoo, that allow you to adopt the meerkats and any other animal at the zoo.

More information on adoption.

The zoo is open every day from 10am and last admission is 2.30pm.