Sep
04

Meerkat Mob’s Keepers

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Keepers,Mammals,Meerkats,Natural Encounters,Zoo Births

The meerkats kits are continuing to display exceptional cuteness and are ranging farther and farther around their exhibit.  The whole group is together now which has all of the staff breathing a huge sigh of relief.  Alpha female, Chafu, was introduced to them early this morning and she accepted them without any apparent hesitation. 

That moment at first light when we opened the door and let the entire mob onto the exhibit was both nerve racking and exhilirating.  Fortunately, it went exactly as we had hoped it would!  All of the work leading up to that moment, however, took place behind the scenes from a dedicated group of keepers.  They kept pages of notes, took many pictures and rotated individuals in with mom and kits multiple times each day.  The following video lets Paul, Priscilla and Jose  tell you the story of all the work in their own words.  And it delivers plenty of the cuteness you expect from our meerkat kits!

If you stop by the meerkat yard in the next few weeks you are likely to see Paul, Priscilla and Jose keeping a watch on the social structure of the group just to make sure things proceed as we expect.  They love showing off the kits and talking with guests about the animals in their care.  Say hi and let them know what a great job they’re doing!

And thanks to Jeremy Stewart, our videographer extrodinaire, for putting together this video for us to share with you.

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