By staff at Safari Zoo, Dalton:

Over the last few weeks our Magical Maintenance team have been hard at work creating a new enriched habitat fit for our Meerkat Mob!

The Meerkats enclosure was very tired, dated and in need of a general overhaul – their house had been in situ for some time and whilst the enclosure and house provided them with the basics, there was a distinct lack of pazzaz and fun elements within their home.

Not one to do things by halves, the Meerkats are Moving to Africa into a brand-spanking new enclosure!

This is just phase one of the development, Phase Two is a linked development to out doors which will more than double the space the meerkats had.

For those who don’t know, Husbandry Guidelines exist for each and every animal that may be housed in a zoo, wildlife park or centre.

This tells the needs of any animal – from substrate to temperature, from enrichment to sleeping preferences, from the provision of lookout posts or hidey holes to give them areas to get away from two-legged observers.

This is then coupled with the experience of staff here at the Zoo. The added beauty of a development like this here at Safari Zoo is the involvement of all departments, from animal departments leading with the needs and habits of OUR meerkats – what they like to do, where they like to sit, how they choose to sleep.

The maintenance department leading with ideas on functionality, what is practical given the structures, buildings and surfaces with which we have to work.

Administration feeding in with feedback from visitors, comments from those who have done experiences with the meerkats and design and population of information and decorative signage.

We love what we have done with the place, and we think you will too! Come visit us from Saturday and tell us what you think of the new Mansion for our Mob.