Mad About Meerkats

Meerkat Factfile

Habitat

• Meerkats live in South Africa and Botswana.
• Several families live together in groups called a community.
• They live in burrows with several tunnels and rooms below the ground.
• Their burrows remain cool even in the heat of the desert.

Fun facts

• My long tail helps me balance when I’m standing up.
• We have excellent eyesight.
• The dark area around our eyes act as built-in sunglasses, by reducing the glare from the sun when we look into the sky!
• We’re immune to the poison from scorpions and snakes!
• We can close our ears to stop sand getting in.
• We take it in turns to be on guard, watching the skies for predators, like hawks and eagles. If there is any sign of danger, we sound the alarm with a loud barking sound.

Why meerkats shouldn't be kept as pets!

It could be due to the TV show Meerkat Manor, Timone from The Lion King, or recent adverts featuring funny characters, but these little guys have never been more popular. But while cute characters are fun, we’ve heard about a worrying trend to keep these wild animals as pets.

• Meerkats need to live in large groups, they are sociable animals.
• They need to dig, to do this they need to be in the right environment.
• Meerkats need lots of space to live.
• They need to be fed the correct food.

How you can help!

Make sure all your friends and family know that meerkats should never be kept as pets. If the demand for these animals isn’t there, pet shops won’t sell them.