Meerkat pups born at the Chattanooga Zoo

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Zoo has their first meerkat pups.

They were born on Thursday.

Mother, Flower, and the pups are all doing fine.

The Zoo got their meerkats when they opened the Deserts of the World building in 2012.

Flower joined the mob last October.

“It is always exciting to have babies born, but even more so to watch their natural parental behaviors,” states Chattanooga Zoo’s Assistant Curator and Animal Health & Records Manager, Lacey Hickle.

But the introduction of Flower and her sister Sandy caused a power struggle among the females of the Meerkat Mob.

Ultimately, Flower became the dominant female and Sandy had to be shipped out to another zoo.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs in our meerkat mob over recent months and it is rewarding to see our mob grow with two active little pups.”

Since the pups were born inside the exhibit, they are staying with the mother.

And you can visit them all.

However… “As the pups are newborns and Flower is experiencing higher stress levels at this time with caring for her young, we do ask that all visitors are respectful of this and refrain from any intentional disturbances.”

Zoo President Darenelle Long says “I am so proud of the hard work our animal care staff put into managing the introductions to allow for another reproductive success at the Zoo. Introducing Sandy and Flower to our resident mob brought many challenges, but our animal care staff diligently worked to ensure the safety of all while allowing the mob to participate in their naturalistic behaviors.”