Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Meerkat matches leave zoo hoping for spring meerkittens

MATCHMAKER, matchmaker, make me a meerkat match.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo says its colony of slender-tailed meerkats has finally bonded and there could be meerkittens later this spring.

The zoo brought in five females from an animal park in Florida last fall to try to arouse interest in Winnipeg's three lonely males.

There was a lot of growling and squabbling for eights weeks, and two of the females and one male were eventually ejected from the group.

But zoo officials say the remaining animals have finally been observed mating and there could be young ones soon.

The meerkat is related to the mongoose and is native to the savannas of southern Africa.

The Winnipeg zoo first imported the animals in 1988, but needed to acquire unrelated individuals to keep the colony going.

The species may live up to 20 years in captivity.

 

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 26, 2009 B2

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