Three meerkat pups born at the Moscow Zoo

The family of meerkats at the Moscow Zoo welcomed triplets, born on 6 August.  

Almost two months old and each weighing a mere 80 grams, the nimble pups are actively communicating with their peers, tirelessly running around the enclosure and digging in the sand from time to time.

The pups spend the first two weeks of life in a warm burrow together with their mother, who brings them out to meet the other members of the group, known as a mob, only after they open their eyes. To avoid any accidental injury from their restless peers, the mother carefully protects the pups and keeps them very close. 

The Moscow Zoo's meerkat family spent the summer in the open-air enclosure next to the African Hoofed Animals section. The mob consists of 20 meerkats. Along with the three newborn pups, the mob includes two young meerkats, one born in February and one in April; they have grown up since then and taken their position in the hierarchy.

Interestingly, meerkats live in a family headed by a dominant female. She is the only female who has the right to bear young, while all the others act as nannies, taking care of the pups and teaching them. The hierarchy among males is established during fights. Despite their small size, meerkats are born fighters; they fiercely defend their territory and prey.

The Moscow Zoo welcomed its meerkats back in 2009, when nine animals were brought from South Africa. They are kept in good conditions favourable for reproduction. The minimum temperature for these animals is +5°C, and they have now been moved indoors from their open-air enclosure. The meerkats will spend the winter in the warm indoor enclosure in the African Hoofed Animals pavilion.