Category: General

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.

Elrond Council’s Charlie, Arya, and Tolkien in 2020. Photo by Life History Coordinator Shaz Alderton

This month Elrond’s Council dominant female Tayl Baez VBBF117 was given her last seen.  She is assumed deceased since her radio collar continued to give off signal at a burrow without the rest of the group for several days. Tayl Baez’s story is featured in this month’s Meerkatter.

Jaxx had an encounter with wild meerkats, resultig in the death of a juvenile wildy.

Gold Digger’s habituation status is in Advanced Progress.  All individuals are dye-marked, weighable and two-hour follows are possible.

Pumba and Timon in December 2019. Photo by Life History Coordinator Shaz Alderton.

A new group has been found and named Side Quest.  It consists of Zulus Adult sisters Pumba VZUF048 and Timon VZUF049, Elrond’s Council adult male Legolas VECM009 and four juveniles.

For the May 2021 Meerkatter click here

Find the May 2021 Life History Chart here

Watch trailer here.

Moon Moon (VTSM022) Photo by Life History Coordinator Sian Seymour

Trackie-Daks (formerly known as Tswana 2) officially has a dominant male, adult Coquillette (VTSM014). In order to declare a meerkat dominant within a group, more than half of the individuals of the same sex within that group need to be observed submitting to that meerkat.

After missing for almost two weeks, Trackie-Daks subordinate sub-adult male, Moon Moon (VTSM022), reappeared with the group with a mummified left hind leg.  Since he was most likely ensnared by a man-made object, the decision was made to amputate his leg. Moon Moon has made a full recovery and is adjusting to life as a three-legged meerkat.

The morning of the 23rd started as a normal and fairly uneventful session at Make-e-plan. As per usual, the dominant female Bridget (VQLF011) and dominant male Banksia (VVHM117), subordinate adult male Thorn (VMPM027) and yearling subordinate female Vivienne (VMPF038) were taking their guarding duties seriously, while the rest of the group spent the morning foraging. Suddenly, the group started making a lot of noise around a dead tree. The observer approached the tree and saw a huge monitor lizard burst out and retreat into a hole.

If you want to know more….. download the meerkatter here!

Click here for the April Life History Chart.