July 20, 2006
By Thabang Mokoka
THE enclosure for the rapscallions of the Johannesburg Zoo - a gang of meerkats - has been transformed into a suricate paradise.
The upgraded enclosure, part of the zoo's five-year redevelopment plan, was officially opened on Wednesday, 19 July. According to the zoo's marketing co-ordinator, Senzo Ngcobo, the enclosure was quite old and needed to be upgraded.
Work began on the upgrade seven months ago, with financial help from cellphone giant Vodacom.
"We hope that the meerkats will live a long and happy life in their new enclosure," Vodacom's managing executive of advertising and brand management, Andre Beyers, said. "Meerkats are especially close to our hearts because of our own Mo, who represents the Vodafone brand with so much enthusiasm."
On Wednesday, seven new meerkats were introduced to the five original members of the gang.
The frisky little animals carefully inspected their newly improved surrounds: rocky edges have been smoothed out to make digging in the dry ground easier and the feeding box has been made bird-proof so the meerkats can enjoy their succulent meals undisturbed.
Very territorial in nature, meerkats are inquisitive by nature and usually live in groups of between five and 30.
They are great diggers and use their good sense of smell to find concealed prey, which they then dig out with their long claws. They eat insects, scorpions, eggs, lizards and roots, as well as small birds and mammals. Their primary predators include martial eagles and jackals.
A heated night room has also been built for the meerkats to cuddle up and sleep together during cold winter nights.
The zoo's CEO Jenny Gray was delighted at the opportunity to upgrade "our precious meerkats' enclosure". "In future, we want every animal to have an enclosure like this."
The meerkats' home forms part of the Southern Safari zone at the zoo, one of seven distinct areas being created by the Johannesburg Zoo. The others are: the Spice Route, Heart of Africa, Extreme Environments, Amazonia, the Farmyard, and an entertainment area.
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