WATCH | Meerkats beat the heat at fauna park

By Contributed

Mar 16, 2023

Cool treat: The Meerkats at Kyabram Fauna Park are beating the heat. Photo: Zoos Victoria.

As temperatures climb this week, the furry creatures at Kyabram Fauna Park are taste-testing heatwave remedies.

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The park’s resident slender-tailed meerkats receive ice blocks on particularly hot days, providing them with physical and mental stimulation, as well as environmental variation.

Mammal keeper Tennielle Peterson said the ice blocks were refreshing and nutritious.

“We provide our meerkats with ice blocks in a number of different sizes, with lots of tasty treats frozen inside,” Ms Peterson said.

“The inclusion of high-value food items, such as corn, carrot and peas, helps to encourage foraging behaviours, while also offering a new way to cool off on hot days.”

Native to sub-Saharan Africa, slender-tailed meerkats are well adapted to desert conditions, with thin fur and dark skin on their stomachs to help them regulate their body temperature. The dark patches around their eyes also help to reduce the sun’s glare.

However, it’s not only the meerkats who receive warm-weather enrichment when temperatures soar. All animals at the park are offered refreshing options and opportunities to seek shelter, particularly when forecasts are above 25°C. What they receive is dependent on their species and individual preferences.

Even in autumn, Victorians can help wildlife that visits their backyards and balconies during consecutive hot by providing safe access to water.

Simply place a shallow plastic or ceramic (non-metal) dish in a shady spot close to shrubs or trees, away from pets and roads. Create an escape route by putting a rock or stick in the water for smaller animals and insects to climb out if they fall in. Keep the water clean by changing it every day and more regularly on really hot days.