Gallery | Meerkats train at Fauna Park

By Kayla Jones

Mar 13, 2024

Poised and ready: Kyabram Fauna Park meerkats are training for their check ups. Photo: Jo Howell/Zoos Victoria.

The matriarchal meerkat mob at Kyabram Fauna Park is making mighty strides when it comes to training.

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Zahara, Nyiri and Acacia have been choosing to step onto scales and present their noses to a target so keepers can inspect their body condition using a hands-off approach.

Kyabram Fauna Park mammal keeper Jessica Lyne said it is rewarding to work with the meerkats to build trusting, positive health training.

“Since the meerkats arrived at Kyabram Fauna Park a couple of years ago, we’ve been developing a training plan and it’s going really well,” Ms Lyne said.

“By establishing rapport with the animals, we can ask the meerkats to move into position on different coloured stations to have a closer look at them.

“If they choose to engage with us, then they receive one of their favourite food items as positive reinforcement.

“The best part of working with the meerkats is coming up with exciting new ways to provide physical and mental stimulation.”

Smart ladies: Meerkats learning their target. Photo: Jo Howell/Zoos Victoria.

Meerkats live in groups called mobs and monitor their territory by posting one member at a high location within their habitat as a sentry to keep watch for predators.

Although there are no real threats at Kyabram Fauna Park, the mob still practises this instinctive behaviour.