Meerkat barriers

[Pepe]

Hi all,
I am looking for experiences with barriers for meerkat enclosures. Some references state that a glass panel of 100cm high may not be enough (and suggest 130cm is necessary), but in many zoos the barrier is only 100cm (or less).
Who has experience with meerkats in captivity, and can share some experiences with different barrier heights? Positive and negative. Thanks!

 

[TheImmigrant1]

The meerkat enclosure at the Houston Zoo has quite the variety of glass barriers. The one all the way in the back is the tallest (about as tall as a grown adult), at ground level with the meerkats, and is covered at the top with some wood. It's a great way to get eye to eye with the meerkats and where I got my pfp from. The one in the middle is about the same just slightly shorter (maybe 4-4.5 feet) and open topped. The last one though, that's the troublemaker. It's around 100 cm tall and now has a metal bar dividing the space between it and the guests because of people trying to pet or feed the meerkats. I talked to a keeper about it on my last visit during their keeper talk and she mentioned that making that specific barrier taller is a likely possibility in the near future because even the divider hasn't stopped people from being stupid.

 

[Pepe]

Thank you for the info. I seems that we need to base the height of barriers on the stupidity of the visitors, and not on the escape ablilities of the animals! How great (or sad?) is that. Zoos should include this in signage! But it is a very good point, I will include this in a discussion I have with a zoo on a future enclosure. Thanks for the help!