A new group of meerkats is on guard duty at Rostock Zoo: zoo director Antje Angeli and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s lottery boss Ait Stapelfeld, as animal sponsor, welcomed the four newcomers. It is a female meerkat from the Leipzig Zoo and three brothers from the Krefeld Zoo. All were born in 2021. As a welcome greeting, there was an extra portion of goodies for the lively gang.
The family is expected to grow soon. “Meerkats tend to reproduce very quickly,” said Mammals Curator Daniela Lahn. After a gestation period of about 70 days, a female usually gives birth to two litters a year, usually consisting of three to seven young. “So we could already expect the first offspring in June.”
From the previous group there are still two older male animals who have reached “retirement age” at the age of eleven. With meerkats, it is difficult to integrate new animals into an existing group. That’s why they looked for a quiet place for the two older animals.
The meerkats, whose homeland is South Africa, are known for their upright sentry posture on their hind legs. While part of the group is busy looking for food and digging, a guard stands on a hilltop, keeps a lookout and emits warning calls in case of danger.
