Ambassadors for raising awareness for the illegal pet trade – poaching and habitat loss reduces wild meerkat populations and damages ecosystems. Removing a few individuals from a group can destabilize an entire colony, making them vulnerable to predators. Captured meerkats are often kept in poor conditions, leading to suffering and early death.
Meerkats are The Social Guardians of the Desert. They are small but highly social mammals known for their tight-knit family groups, upright posture, and impressive teamwork. Native to southern Africa, they thrive in arid environments, using their intelligence and strong social bonds to survive.
They live in groups of up to 40 individuals, usually family members. While others forage, one meerkat stands guard, watching for danger. Use a variety of chirps, growls, and barks to warn, call, or comfort each other. Babysitting duties are shared, and pups are taught survival skills by older members.
Eddie & Crash (left) and Buck (right) – The Small 3 – came to Cheetah Outreach from Solidearth in Van Zylsrus, an NPO dedicated to the rehabilitation and rescue of wildlife, with a particular focus on Kalahari meerkats.
The ultimate goal of rehabilitation is always to return animals to the wild where possible. Because of their backgrounds, however, Buck, Eddie and Crash could not be released and instead found a permanent home at Cheetah Outreach, where they continue to serve as animal ambassadors.
To complement the life in our Meerkat Manor, the Small 3 have neighbours – The Big 6 – adult mob consisted of 4 males and 2 females and of ages estimated around 6 years. Bandit (alpha male), Daisy (alpha female), Trigger, Bolt, Blaze and Luna.
Cheetah Outreach raises the awareness and educates the public regarding the increase of illegal wildlife trade affecting this species.
