Meerkat's 'cuter' cousins arrive at Telford zoo
A Shropshire zoo has recently welcomed four of Africa’s smallest carnivores as part of efforts to raise awareness of the challenges that the species face in the wild. The Dwarf Mongoose is the smallest species of mongoose in the world and they belong to the same family as meerkats, which have attained household fame due to an advertising campaign.
A collective group of Mongoose are commonly referred to as a ‘mob’ and the mob which has arrived at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World consists of brothers; Zepto, Bucky, Poco and Marcel. The bachelor group made the over 200-mile journey from Kent with the hope that they will be joined by a number of females in the future as part of breeding efforts to maintain a captive population of the species.
In the wild, Dwarf Mongoose can be found throughout Southern and Eastern Africa, but find their habitat threatened by regional economic development and subsequent habitat loss.
Dwarf Mongoose live in complex family structures in the wild, with each mob consisting of a dominant male and female. Due to the dominance of individuals within the group, it is common for some of the less dominant members of the group to be evicted from the family and then go on to form their own family group.
“Dwarf Mongoose are one of the lesser-known African animals. Whilst everybody can identify a meerkat, there are many species of mongoose which face a bleak future in the wild because of habitat loss. By welcoming these mongoose brothers to the zoo, we can play an important role in educating the public about the threats that these animals face in the wild,” said Zoo Owner, Will Dorrell.
“Dwarf Mongoose are Africa’s smallest carnivore, with their body reaching only between fifteen and twenty centimetres in length. We are hopeful that our new mob will be joined by a number of females in the future as part of breeding efforts to maintain a captive population of the species and help safeguard animal from extinction.”
Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World was recently voted as the second-best Zoo in the United Kingdom by users of internet review site, TripAdvisor. The zoo is already home to Arctic Wolves, Lemurs and big cats including Eurasian Lynx.
By Martin Blyth-Sweetingham - Contributor
