People immediately began asking questions; “How old are they?”  ”Which one is the Mom?” “Is that one OK that just rolled down the hill??”  These were the easy questions to answer; four weeks old, Mom is the lightest colored one, and yes, they roll around a lot and the adults keep a close eye that they make it back to the nest.

One of the trickier questions to answer was “How come we didn’t know you had babies until now?”  The answer to that essentially lies in the complicated social structure of meerkats,  how we have to try to decipher their behavior and how we use that knowledge when making management decisions in captivity.

In the wild, only the alpha pair is allowed to breed.  Unfortunately our alpha male died about three years ago, and since then, alpha female, Chafu, has not had any babies. We recently noticed that one of our other females, Kala, was pregnant.  Because Kala is a subordinate animal, we were worried that Chafu’s natural instinct would kick in and she might try to harm the babies.  We decided to try to help Kala protect her kits.

The keepers weigh all of the meerkats regularly and keep meticulous records.  Because of this we were able to determine when Kala’s weight was at a point at which meerkats generally give birth. We kept Kala inside to give birth instead of allowing her access to the outside tunnels where we would not be able to help her if anything went wrong. We also rotated three or four mob members in with her each day, all except Chafu. We timed it perfectly and the second night that Kala was inside she gave birth.  She had a cozy den that she kept the kits in and we continued to rotate other individuals in with her.  They were all very protective of the kits and helped Kala by “babysitting” when she would leave the den to eat.  It took a few days but eventually the adults were comfortable enough to let the keepers get a peek and count six babies!
Check out this picture. Cute!

Four day old meerkat kits snoozing in their nest.

The babies are now four weeks old, very mobile and beginning to eat solid food.  It was time for their first foray into the yard.  In preparation, we brought Chafu and three buddies inside and let the rest of the mob out.  Within moments the babies were peeking out and beginning to explore.  Here they are during their first minutes in the big wide world.  Could you wish for anything cuter?

The playful kits are always under the watchful eye of their babysitters.

After the kits have a few days to explore, we will start to introduce Chafu back into the group.  She has seen, smelled and touched the babies through a mesh barrier, and has exhibited no aggression towards them.  This is very encouraging. We will have plenty of staff on hand ready to assist in case things don’t go according to plan, but we have high hopes that because the rest of the mob has accepted the babies, Chafu will too.

Stop by the Natural Encounters building when you visit the zoo and watch the kits as they explore and tumble in their yard.  Of course we’ll be blogging as they grow so check back often and let us know in the comments what you think of our super cute kits!

Hometown:

Department/Title:  Special Events

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?:  1 year

Favorite animal:  I love them all, but enjoy the Meerkats.  They are the animals I see most often since they are next to several special events venues.  They never fail to put a smile on my face. 

Quote:  “Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.” -Lawrence K. Fish

Special interests/Hobbies:  Working out, being outside, traveling, reading about WWII strategies and events.

Education/Training:  B.S. from Texas A & M in Political Science and History

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Be a good communicator, proactive, and know how to multi-task!  This job involves meeting and talking to a lot of people with various backgrounds, so it helps to be a people person and easily approachable.  Be prepared for crazy hours and cautious not to step on toes.

Favorite Events- so far:
Gainer Donnelly and Desroches Event –  This was a very rewarding event because it was a lot of hard work and the zoo just looked magnificent.
Flock Events – They are just full of great people with lots of energy and a ton of fun
Bar mitzvah Event – There was one in particular that I got to know the people very well.  It was great to see their dream realized. 

Something you want people to know about yourself or your position at the zoo:  We have done around 200 events so far this year and estimate doing about 400 total.  About 75% of our job is working with clients.  Most of our requests are on behalf of others.  What that means is that it’s our job to ask.  We are here to make sure everyone is happy and things go as smoothly as possible.  Remember that we are happy to help and are always here for you!

See all of our venue options or contact the Zoo’s Events department at 713.533.6833, for details of Zoo rentals and programs.

There are numerous career paths to choose from at the Houston Zoo!  To learn more about non-keeper careers, visit Leigh’s blog or the Houston Zoo’s Career page!

Twelve Meerkats Munching

Eleven Houston Toads Chirping

Ten Floating Jellies

Nine Ne-Ne Geese Singing

Eight Growing Giraffes

Seven Orangs a’Hangin’

Six Entertaining Elands

Five Elephants Trumpeting

Four Komodos Crawling

Three Leaping Leopards

Two Curious Coatis

And A Toby The Red Panda In A Tree

We hope you enjoyed our countdown of the 12 Days of Christmas at the Houston Zoo.

Living together in groups of 2 to 50, which are referred to as either “gangs” or “mobs,” meerkats’ survival is dependent upon their successful cooperation.

Because they do not store food, meerkats spend most of their time foraging for insects, bird and snake eggs, and even scorpions. But when you are the size of a football, dancing around the hot African savannah while hawks and foxes drool at your every move, focusing all attention on food can be risky business. So what does a mobber do? Well, he mobs, of course!

When confronted by a predator, the self-ordained sentinel, or “watch-kat,” of the group alerts the other members of the mob by barking in an alarmed manner. In the event of a potential attack from above, meerkats dive into their burrows for safety and cover any young, vulnerable pups. For some ground predators, however, such as venomous snakes, meerkats literally “gang-up” on the serpent and form a circle around it, snarling and hissing while trying to look big and menacing.

Meerkat at the Houston Zoo

And while most animals, including humans, have been found to have an innate sense of self preservation above the preservation of others (with the exception of one’s own young, or course), meerkats cooperate and sacrifice for one another with little concern for personal reward.

Meerkats bathe, groom, teach, and nap with one another. At only a few months old, gang members learn to keep an eye out for tinier pups, and mature females without pups of their own act as babysitters when mothers are out foraging for food. Perhaps most amazingly of all, any group member will respond to the cries of any hungry pup, redirecting her food search toward the benefit of the helpless baby – even when it means that she herself may go hungry as a result.

Writer: Stefanie Hanselka

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