Page 28 - aprilmay pick west - web version

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Jamie Craig, Curator at Cotswold Wildlife Park, said: “We have had great success
with our Meerkats over the years. They’re such endearing creatures and are
always a great hit with our visitors.”
These highly social and charismatic animals possess a unique approach to
rearing their young. Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) have a fascinating social
structure whereby any newborns are looked after by the entire family for the
first few months, each adult taking on their individual share of the nursery
chores. Even other females in the group will lactate to help feed the pups. Once
born, baby Meerkats soon become the most important members of the group.
Adults become tender guardians to the youngsters.
At around six weeks old, the Meerkat will join the rest of the group. Each baby is
an apprentice to an adult from which it learns where and how to find and handle
food - a vital task as their diet in the wild can include scorpions and other small
ground-dwelling animals. Young Meerkats learn from the adults how to kill their
prey without getting hurt.
Visitors can see the tiny, as-yet-unnamed, newborn daily in the enclosure near
the Bactrian Camels. The Meerkats also share their home with two Porcupines.
Exotic Pet Specialist!
xWe Board Your Animals While You Are Away!
xMix And Match Any 3 Live Food Tubs For £6
x2 Bags Of Substrate For £10
xWe Have A Wide Selection
And If You Don’t See It In Store
We Can Order It In!
01993 773599
www.ruralreptiles.com
Unit 5, Waterloo walk, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 6EU
Opening Times
10am - 5.30pm
Tue -Thu
10am-6pm
Fri & Sat
Closed
Mon & Sun