Two meerkats born at Dublin Zoo in 2012

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EDDIE O’BRIEN from Dublin Zoo joins Paula Wiseman on the phone to discuss the arrival of two meerkats pups at the zoo in recent days. Eddie begins by sharing some history of the Zoo itself and paints a picture of his job as team leader at the zoo. We hear that there are 58 full time staff, with this number increasing during the busy summer months.

They move on to discuss the introduction of these new meerkats and talks of the success of the birth of two meerkats at the zoo. Eddie tells that they are able to keep a visible presence on the meerkat burrows using special cameras, so as not to disturb the meerkats in the process. He shares how the meerkat social structure works and the types of food which their diet consists of. He tells that they are originally from Africa and would have a naturally sandy habitat. In winter they provide heated lamps for the animals to match their natural habitat.

They move on to discuss the naming process for animals at the zoo and talk of how Dublin zoo earns the money needed to keep the zoo in operation. They also talk of accepting donations through memberships and give details where people can avail of more information.

www.dublinzoo.ie

 

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