to our our little slice of the Kalahari!  We are excited for you to meet the 7 Meerkats that we adopted from the Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center in the Morango Valley of Southern California.

MEET RAFIKI

The Swahili translation for "Rafiki" is "FRIEND".

MeerKat Fun Fact:

Did you know that in the Disney movie The Lion King, the character "Timon" is a MeerKat?  He was modeled after a female Meerkat named "Kalahari" that lived at the Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center.

MEET SURI

Suri's name is short for "Suricata suricatta"  which is the Binomial nomenclature for the species.

Suri is laying in a gingham basket just begging for a manicure!  Did you notice his little fang hanging out?

A Tisket, a Tasket, a Suri in a Basket!

MeerKat Fun Fact:

Did you know the meerkat or suricate is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. It inhabits all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob" or "gang".

MEET Kendi

Kendi is the Swahili name meaning "Precious"

~*~AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL~*~

Kendi was so sweet she ate right out of my hand

Kendi & Rafiki were wild about Chris

KENDI  STRIKES A POSE

MeerKat Fun Fact:

Meerkats are primarily insectivores, but also eat lizards, snakes, spiders, plants, eggs and small mammals. Like all mongoose species, they are immune to many venoms, and eat scorpions (including the stinger) and some snakes, without fear of illness, poison or death.^{[citation needed]}They have no excess body fat stores, so foraging for food is a daily need.

MEET Remi

Remi & Suri live together in the same enclosure.  Meerkats are very social animals but dont always get along with each other.  Remi & Suri must really love each other because they chose each other to co-habitat with.

MeerKat Fun Fact:

Meerkats are the first non-human mammal species seen actively teaching their young. Children of most species learn solely by observing adults. Meerkat adults educate children how to eat a venomous scorpion. They will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature.

MEET Bara

We would like to say we named Bara after ourselves, but it was already her name by the time we met her. She is the only female living with Jengo & Nalo, who are brothers. 

MeerKat Fun Fact:

The underside of the meerkat has no markings but the belly has a patch which is only sparsely covered with hair and shows the black skin underneath. The meerkat uses this area to absorb heat standing on its rear legs, usually early in the morning after cold desert nights.

MEET Nalo

The name Nalo in African means "Lovable"

Dinner.... party of 4, please!

MeerKat Fun Fact:

The coat is usually fawn-coloured peppered with gray, tan, or brown with a silver tint. They have short, parallel stripes across their backs, extending from the base of the tail to the shoulders. The patterns of stripes are unique to each animal.

MEET Jengo

The name Jengo means "Building" in Swahili.

Jengo kicks back with his brother Nalo & his Roommate Bara.

MeerKat Fun Fact:

Meerkats are burrowing animals, living in large underground networks with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day. They are very social, living in colonies of up to about 30. Animals in the same group regularly groom each other to strengthen social bonds. The alpha pair often scent-mark subordinates of the group to express their authority, and this is usually followed by the subordinates grooming the alphas and licking their faces. This behavior is also usually practiced when group members are reunited after a short period apart. Most meerkats in a group are all siblings and offspring of the alpha pair.

You to can be an Adoptive Parent to these amazing little creatures.

Click here to see how:

Please click on the "COUCH" to sign my GUEST BOOK

Many thanks to Pam Bennett-Wallberg  at the Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center, Inc for letting us have the time of our lives & an amazing experience we will never forget with her Meerkat Mob!

Please Note:  Meerkats are one of the most strictly regulated animals in the world, so they are not available as house pets.  I do not have these wonderful creatures at my home. (I'm sure Chris is thankful for this!) You can visit them yourself at the Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center or the Living Desert Zoo in the Palm Springs area of Southern California

Chillen like a Villian

A meerkat dog door

Jolly Jengo

Sweet Suri

Suri resting

Hand fed

Pups

3 Angels

Strike Pose

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King of the Throne

Yes, Dahling