Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is alive with the pitter patter
of really teeny tiny feet! The zoo’s resident Meerkat mom recently gave birth
to several kits.  The zoo staff is unsure how many kits are in the litter, but suspects they were born around August 26.  Mother Meerkat has been keeping her babies hidden in a tunnel den, mostly
out of view of staff members and the public.

“We decided it would be better for the health and welfare of
the kits to not disturb them by entering the exhibit and allow them time to
bond with their mother,” Curator of Animals Andi Kornak said. “Consequently, we
are not sure exactly how many of them there may be total, but we do have visual
confirmation on three individuals.”

Meerkat kits in the wild are kept hidden in the mob’s tunnel
system to protect them from predators. They are tended to by several members of
the mob, not just their mother, who act as baby-sitters or wet nurses. A Meerkat
typically gives birth to between one and five kits. The kits normally begin
exploring outside the den at about 3-4 weeks old.

Meerkats are native to southern
Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. In the wild they
forage for insects are other small creatures including scorpions and spiders.

Photo credit:  Joe Yachanin/Cleveland
Metroparks Zoo