New meerkats arrive at the Charles Paddock Zoo
Wine festival was instrumental in raising funds for exhibit renovation
–Stop by and meet the new meerkat girls, Nadria, Naki, and Sarah, who are now making their home with Mickey, the senior resident male, at the Charles Paddock Zoo.
Meerkats, a small member of the mongoose family, native to South Africa, have been on display at the Charles Paddock Zoo for over 20 years. In 2003, the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival was instrumental in providing the funding necessary to renovate the previous Meerkat Exhibit by installing new glass panels and increasing the size of the enclosure, which also helped to enhance the viewing experience for visitors to the zoo. The young meerkat group that arrived to make their home at the zoo after the completion of this renovation did very well in their new home for many years.
Naturally, over the course of time, these meerkats aged and the group gradually became smaller and smaller. It can be very difficult and somewhat risky to introduce younger, new meerkats to an established group. Staff at the zoo wanted to insure that the remaining senior meerkats were not stressed or injured if a new and younger group was brought into the exhibit. Until recently, there was only one remaining member of the earlier group, Mickey, still living.
Over the course of the last 18 months or so, the Charles Paddock Zoo has been working closely with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and their coordinator for the Meerkat Special Survival Plan (SSP). Unfortunately, none were available until earlier this year, when a group of three female meerkats from Greensboro, North Carolina came to the attention of Zoo staff. In late October, after working through the lengthy health and permitting process, along with airline arrangements and ensuring the safe transport of the animals at the right temperatures, this new group of female meerkats was able to finally make their way to the Zoo. The introduction process to Mickey, the male meerkat, has now been successfully completed. The new group is getting along well and so far everything has gone much better than anticipated! Visitors can now see all four meerkats in their home at the Charles Paddock Zoo.
Along with the meerkats, over 200 animals call the Charles Paddock Zoo home, including red pandas, monkeys, parrots, a Malayan Tiger, a variety of reptiles and more. For more information about the Zoo, please visit us at www.charlespaddockzoo.org or call (805) 461-5080.
