At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, three Meerkat pups have recently started to emerge from the den under the watchful eye of mother, Umi, and father, Brock. The three pups are doing really well. They are very bold, and have started to venture out from their den much earlier than Taronga's previous litters. The older meerkats in the group are acting as good role models for the new-born pups. Mother Umi has now had three litters since arriving in November 2010. Including the new arrivals, this brings the zoo's total number of meerkats on display to 12. Did you know that the dark patches around meerkats' eyes lessen the desert glare and that their ears can close in the event of a sand storm?

Photo credits: Karen Ellis

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