Meerkat Suricata suricatta

Animals in our sanctuary

Bale

Date of birth

29-05-2012

Date taken in

10-07-2014

Bale was brought in on 10/07/2014 via Beekse Bergen Safari Park together with Jubuco, Ilom, Bosedu, Jafaru, Bahari and Nokubongo. The animals were ejected from the group there and could not go anywhere. Beekse Bergen handed over the animals to De Zonnegloed because they knew that they were going to be well cared for.

Ilom

Date of birth

04-07-2013

Date taken in

10-07-2014

Ilom was brought in on 10/07/2014 via Safaripark Beekse Bergen together with Jubuco, Jafaru, Bosedu, Bale, Bahari and Nokubongo. The animals were ejected from the group there and could not go anywhere. Beekse Bergen handed over the animals to De Zonnegloed because they knew that they were going to be well cared for.

Jafaru

Date of birth

04-07-2013

Date taken in

10-07-2014

Jafaru was brought in on 10/07/2014 via Safaripark Beekse Bergen together with Jubuco, Ilom, Bosedu, Bale, Bahari and Nokubongo. The animals were ejected from the group there and could not go anywhere. Beekse Bergen handed over the animals to De Zonnegloed because they knew that they were going to be well cared for.

Brie

Date of birth

01-01-2001

Date taken in

28-01-2021

Brie was discovered in a garden where the animal several times came to eat from the dog food. With the help of an animal friendly trap, Natuurhulpcentrum (BE) was able to catch Brie. When checked, it turned out that she had no chip, so it is likely that Brie escaped or was released by people who were keeping her illegally as a pet.

Wladyslaw

Date of birth

01-01-2021

Date taken in

01-08-2023

Wladyslaw was kept illegally by a private individual in the Netherlands. Through Stichting AAP, she then happily ended up with conspecifics in De Zonnegloed, her forever home.

Where does he feel most at home?

The meerkat lives in southern Africa, in the dry, open savannah.

What's his favourite food?

The menu of the meerkat is very varied. It consists of insects, spiders, scorpions, small birds, snakes, lizards, rodents, eggs, roots and tubers.

Fun fact

Each member of the group has its own task. Only one couple can produce offspring. The other members of the group often help as baby sitters. Another member of the group will keep watch. When there’s danger, he’ll produce an alarm by making a characteristic barking sound.

The skin of the abdomen has a very thin layer of hair and functions as a solar panel: in the morning hours the meerkat warms up by sitting on its back with his belly in the sun. Is it too hot? He’ll lie flat on his stomach in a cool place.