Category: General

Make-e-Plan pup suckling on Crunchy Nut. Photo by Meerkat Volunteer Lucie Reinwalt

Pups! Pups! Pups!  Food was plentiful in April, ideal for all of the newly foraging pups from Ubuntu, Little Creatures, Gold Diggers, Make-e-Plan and Lazuli.  There were even more pups still in the burrows of Elrond’s Council, Jaxx and Namaqua.  Whiskers dominant female, Swift (VWF176), and Zulu’s triple threat, Spruddle (VZUF028), Lil’G (VZUF029 and Lentil (ZVUF032) are all pregnant as well.

Run Amuk has gone extinct with the death of dominant male, Riptide (VHMM002), leaving young Bastet (VRUM006) all on his own.

Find the April 2019 Life History details here.

Run Amuk Riptide marking the weights box. Photo by Laura Salamone-Maiden

Find the April 2019 Meerkatter here.

Zulus dominant female Poma pregnant with her final litter. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

Throughout March Whiskers boys, Bonnie (VWM209), Clyde (VWM208) and Cleo (VWM205) continued to fight for dominance in Namaqua.  Bonnie received the brunt of it by sporting a nasty lacerated and swollen face.  Lewie (VLM208) had enough and viciously fought with Cleo and Clyde, regaining his dominance.

Zulus dominant female Poma (VZUF007) gave birth mid March but due to a possible threat in the burrow, the pups were brought out just days later and moved.  Poma emerged from the burrow with lacerations and swelling, most likely due to snake bites.  Sadly, she succumbed to her injuries over night.  No other females in the group were lactating so Poma’s final litter was lost and dominance up for grabs.

Find the March 2019 Life History File here.

Find the March 2019 Meerkatter here.

The new Namaqua with Heatherleigh, Lewie and Whiskers boys Cleo, Bonnie and Clyde.  Photo by  KMP volunteer Graham Birch

February was marked by inter-group interactions, individual encounters with roving males and evicted females trying to get back into their home groups. Whiskers boys, Cleo (VWM205), Bonnie (VWM209) and Clyde (VWM208) emigrated into the newly formed Namaqua group, fighting Lewie (VLM208) for dominance.

Shamal(VVHM111) took over dominance in Make-e-Plan as the former dominant male, Le Grand Obstacle (VVHM103), was euthanized due to advanced TB.

Find the February 2019 Life History File here.

Find the  February 2019 Meerkatter here.

Whiskers Swift. Photo by KMP visitor Laura Salamone-Maiden

The New Year brings in pregnant sub-adults in Make-e-Plan and Ubuntu.  These naughty meerkats are only 8-9 months old! Little Creatures Kanye (VCRM002) could not make up his mind as to which group he’d like to call home, visiting Run Amuk, Creatures and Jaxx, along with regular excursions back to Little Creatures. Calpurnia (VCRF001) was predated. The Van Helsing mob is still showing signs of TB.  One of Swift’s (VWF176) pups from her latest litter of five was lost after their first forage. The good news is that Swift is officially pregnant.

Click here for the January 2019 Life History File.

Find the January 2019 Meerkatter here.