Another Easter Arrival! Meerkat pup born in Desert Springs

Experienced parents Pansy and Brendan have welcomed a new addition to their thriving family group - a tiny meerkat pup!  

The youngster spent the first month of their life bonding quietly with Pansy inside a secluded area of the meerkat house, but the curious pup has now begun to venture outside under the very protective watch of mum, dad and their older siblings!

At around nine-weeks-old the pup will become fully weaned and start enjoying the usual meerkat diet which includes locusts, crickets and mealworms.

As the pup grows they will learn important foraging skills from the adults. Over the next few weeks, the mob will teach the pup how to use their non-retractable claws and slender arms for foraging in tight spaces, stand on their hind legs to keep watch over the group and call out to other meerkats - as they would naturally do in the wild!

Pansy and Brendan have proven to be extremely capable parents – having had previous litters over the past two years.

Spot the pup for yourself this Easter!

You can spot the tiny pup and the rest of the meerkat mob in their Desert Springs enclosure. The sandy sanctuary mimics their natural desert habitat, allowing the mob to forage, burrow and stand on lookout on the artificial termite mounds!