Category: General

Make-e-Plan Banksia. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

Habituation is discussed in this month’s Meerkatter.  The habituation process is still underway at Gold Diggers, Trackie-Daks and Phoenix.  While Phoenix still needs the most work, a volunteer saw an opportunity  to have direct contact with the three new Phoenix pups when the babysitters went off foraging.

Jaxx dominant female Baloo VJXF080 aborted her litter, as did the Namaqua’s dominant female Manzai VNQF013 and Ubuntu subordinate Magali VUBF023.  While births were confirmed at Gold Diggers, Make-e-Plan, and Trackie-Daks, pups never were seen to have emerged.

Make-e-Plan dominant male Banksia VVHM117 went missing around the 15th and hasn’t been seen since. Runaways subordinate female Brownie VRWF003 was given her last seen.

Namaqua yearling subordinate female Hiccup VNQF016 is showing signs of TB

Namaqua Hiccup as a pup in 2020. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

by means of a submandibular lump.

For the September 2021 Meerkatter click here.

Click here for the September 2021 Life History Chart.

The current territories chart can be found here.

Runaways dominant male Shiraz. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

Spring has sprung in the Kalahari and so have the babies! Side Quest, Jaxx, Runaways, Trackie-Daks and Elrond’s Council all had pups emerge this month.   Runaways dominant male Shiraz VJXM122 has been very protective of dominant female Bigwig’s VMPF022 solo pup who has quickly become a favorite with  the project’s observers. Pregnancies have been confirmed with the dominant females in Lazuli, Make-e-Plan, Zulus, Namaqua and Gold Diggers.  A brief overview  of pregnancy in meerkats is presented in this month’s Meerkatter.

Evicted Runaways subordinate females Cirilla VMPF026, Hope VMPF029 and Scylla VMP028 were all accepted back into the group near the end of the month.

Find the August Meerkatter here.

Click here for the August Life History chart.

Click here for the Group Territories Map.

Namaqua dominant female Skirmish in 2020. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

Tuberculosis has reared its ugly head again in Namaqua with two individuals succumbing to this devastating disease including dominant female Skirmish VNQF009.  Following Skirmish’s death, Manzai VNGF01, took over dominance.  Zulus born ex-Elrond’s Council, Umfana VZUM034, became

Namaqua Manzai with then-pup Hiccup in 2020. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

the  de-facto dominant male after the remaining males left to go roving.

Habituation progress continues to be made with Gold Diggers, Trackie-Daks and Phoenix as well as with individual Lazuli  meerkats Odin VLM206 and Captain Barbosa VLM265.   Side Quest’s habituation is complete.  The group’s size has increased to 9 with the emergence of two pups this month.

Umfana as a Zulus sub-adult in 2019. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

Find the July 2021 Meerkatter here.

For the July 2021 Life History Chart click here.

The group territories map is here. Note that the main road bisects Hakuna Matata territory.

Side Quest’s Dominant Female Pumba. Photo credit Laura Salamone, KMP visitor

New group Side Quest is featured in this month’s Meerkatter. Zulus sisters Pumba VZUF048 and Timon VZUF049, Elrond’s Council’s Legolas VECM009 and four skittish juveniles make up this new group.  Since three of Side Quest’s meerkats were previously habituated, researchers are already collecting data.  Within weeks, it is expected Side Quest’s habituation will be complete.

Elrond Council’s Umfana VZUM034 immigrated into Namaqua. The status of the dominant male in Namaqua is unknown. Yearling female Chandler VNQF017 is missing from the group. She was last seen with clear symptoms of TB.  Dominant female Skirmish

Skirmish as a pup in 2019. Photo credit Lea Sueur, meerkat volunteer

VNQF009 is also showing symptoms of TB.

Galadriel VECF032 is the new dominant female of Elrond’s Council.

For the June 2021 Meerkatter click here.

Find the June 2021 Life History Chart here.