​More meerkats welcomed at Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo is host to a brood of cute meerkat pups – for the third time this year.

Keepers at the registered charity announced that meerkat mum Queen gave birth to three babies in March, five in May and another four last month!

At only three weeks old, the latest brood of mini meerkats are already a lively bunch and have been spotted in the outdoor enclosure playing under the summer sun.

However, they still choose to spend the majority of their time within the safety of the zoo’s new Meerkat House.

Visitors still have the opportunity to spot the pups whilst they are indoors as the new building, which was completed in December 2014, has a full glass wall.

The zoo’s Alison Maclean said: “We were delighted when we discovered Queen had given birth to even more pups inside Meerkat House!

“With a gestation period of only 11 weeks, it is not uncommon for meerkats to give birth multiple times a year. Even though this is her third litter this year, the pups aren’t proving to be too much of a handful for her.

“Meerkats are cooperative breeders which means the adults within the large troop give a helping hand to care for the newest arrivals.

“The pups stayed within their burrow for the first two weeks of their life and have only just begun to start to explore outside their den. At feeding time, they have even been seen excitedly learning how to catch their own food!”

Meerkats are the most well-known member of the mongoose family. They inhabit dry, open areas with short grass and sparse woody scrub, mainly in southern Africa.