Two meercat pups have been born at Fota Wildlife Park — and they need names

The Cork park is looking for name suggestions for the new arrivals, with two conservation annual passes up for grabs

Fota Wildlife Park has announced the arrival of two new meerkat pups to mother, Biggy.

The pups were born on June 22 and have already started on solid food, after having been “thriving” on their mother’s milk for the first month of their lives.

The park has said the meerkat group is protective and vigilant of the young ones and they are safe and well cared for as they explore their new environment.

Their mother, Biggy, was born in 2021 in the Netherlands and was paired with Fota’s resident male meerkat, Snaggle, after she arrived in Cork with her sister, Missy, in May 2023. She had a previous litter last September, which were named Bing, Biggles and Bundi.

The pups were first spotted in early July. Picture: Darragh Kane

Lead ranger, Teresa Power, said: “Biggy had been closely monitored by the animal care team for possible pregnancy after a noticeable weight gain in May. On the morning of June 22, when Biggy and Snaggle did not come out for breakfast, we suspected that Biggy had given birth in an underground burrow, a common birthing practice for meerkats.” 

Biggy was seen intermittently over the following days coming out for food while the rest of the group took turns babysitting the newborns.

The two pups were seen out in their habitat on July 7, with the support of the entire meerkat group.

Members of the meerkat group have been looking after the new arrivals. Picture: Darragh Kane

Meerkats are a social and curious animal that lives underground. Most of their time is spent digging and foraging. They eat insects, eggs, roots, small reptiles and even scorpions, as they are immune to the venom.

A statement from Fota Wildlife Park said: “The arrival of these new pups is a testament to the healthy and thriving meerkat community we have here at Fota Wildlife Park.” 

The park is calling on the public to help name the two pups, whose genders are not yet known. Any suggestions can be submitted through a form on their website, with two conservation annual passes up for grabs.