State's first baby meerkats thrilling crowds with their active antics | The Mercury
THE four baby meerkats at Richmond's Zoodoo Wildlife Park are thriving, says proud owner Trevor Cuttriss.
Born in specially built burrows, the first African Kalahari native desert animals born in Tasmania are going strong.
"They're going fantastic," Mr Cuttriss said.
"They are lively, very tame and friendly, they'll climb all over you."
And more are on the way with one of Zoodoo's meerkat family of 19 pregnant.
Mothers give birth to four to six babies a litter.
Mr Cuttriss said young meerkats remained popular with the crowds because they were so active, whereas Australian native animals such as wombats, quolls and possums preferred to sleep during daylight hours.
The meerkats are fed on a diet of mealworms flown in from Queensland, fruit and chicken mince.
Mr Cuttriss said the mealworm grub was very fattening and good for the animals.
Meerkats are burrowing animals that live in large underground networks with many entrances, which they leave only during the day.