Although the current outbreak is a massive hindrance to zoo animal transfers – as the vast majority of international transfers had to be postponed – there are still new additions to the Debrecen Zoo’s collection.
Most recently, they have welcomed two young female meerkats from Pécs Zoo, Hungary, and are now home to a total of 4 individuals. Long-time residents of the Meerkat Enclosure have fortunately accepted the newcomers, so now the entire group is exhibited since the institution’s reopening on Monday.
Native to the south of Africa, meerkats or suricates (Suricatta suricatta) are small predators found in savannah or desert areas. As diurnal animals, they search for food, mostly comprised of insects, smaller mammals, nestlings and some bulbous roots, during the day and spend the night in burrows dug with their strong foreclaws. They form gangs, with up to 30 individuals per burrow system. Since they have a fair number of predators in the wild, both mammals and birds of prey, at least one gang member is always on the lookout, monitoring the environment while standing erect on its hind legs and performing bark-like alarm calls when sensing danger. Their ever-curious nature and well observable group dynamics have made them very popular with visitors, so the Debrecen Zoo has even had a daily feeding show for them for years – a tradition that is sure to resume once the outbreak situation is over.
press release
