Staff at Assiniboine Park Zoo are playing matchmaker for a widowed meerkat looking for companionship.
Earlier this year, the zoo’s older male meerkat passed away, leaving behind 12-year-old Francine.
Zoo staff noticed she was lonely and started to look for a way to cheer her up.
“We brought some new ones in for Francine to have some company so now we have a group of five which is really fun to watch,” Zookeeper Lianne Thompson said.
“She is living with four boys which is actually how she prefers.”
The four slender-tailed meerkats were brought in from Calgary as part of the Species Survival Plan.
“These guys were specifically selected for their genetics,” Thompson told Global News.
While the male meerkats arrived in February, they only recently were carefully introduced to Francine.
“We actually covered the entire exhibit with baby powder,” Thompson explained. “The meerkats themselves were also coated in baby powder. That way when they come out into the exhibit everything is fresh and brand new and they are less likely to have dominance issues.”
“She took to them right away.”
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While Thompson said the main reason the males moved to Winnipeg was for the company, it is an added bonus if mini meerkats are in the future.
“We did see some mating after about 10, 15 minutes which wasn’t what we were expecting,” Thompson said. “But definitely on the positive side in terms of introductions.”
Now they’re waiting to see if Francine is expecting, as her love, and possibly her family, grows.
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