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Meerkats Stan and Groucho arrive at Vilas Zoo

The Capital Times  —  10/10/2008 9:59 pm

The latest additions to the Vilas Park Zoo animal gang are a pair of Meerkats, furry little burrowing creatures which are part of the mongoose family.

The two male animals, Stan and Groucho, came to the Henry Vilas Zoo from the Louisville Zoo, said Henry Vilas Zoo director Jim Hubing.

Stan and Groucho are the latest inhabitants of the Children's Zoo that opened a new play area earlier this year and now has an electric train that has been extremely popular.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk noted the zoo has been drawing record numbers of visitors. "These fun little Meerkats will be really popular with visitors of all ages," she said.

Meerkats are natives of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and South Africa, where they live in groups called mobs. They are persistent hunters that burrow underground to find spiders, snails, rodents, eggs, lizards and scorpions, with adults teaching young "pups" how to properly hunt and burrow.

At the Henry Vilas Zoo, the new Meerkats will dine on a carnivore diet of mealworms, crickets and small amounts of produce, said Hubing, with bananas being among their favorites.

In the wild, Meerkats take turns standing guard as the rest of the mob hunts or cavorts about. The guards give warning when predators such as birds of prey or jackals appear, and the sharp sounds of the sentries send the rest of the mob scurrying to hiding spots.

Meerkats gained a favorable notice by the character "Timon" in Disney's "The Lion King."

Stan and Groucho will be on exhibit in the Children's Zoo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Hubing said.

The Capital Times  —  10/10/2008 9:59 pm