San Diego Zoo Introduces Their Meerkat ‘Mob’ and It’s Total Cuteness Overload
Did you know that a group of meerkats is called a mob? San Diego Zoo thought it would be fun to introduce their meerkat mob, and they did it in the best way possible! The Zoo shared this video complete with family introductions in late September, and it will crack you up.
The video is set to the theme song for the mob movie, The Godfather, and each member of the meerkat family has a job to do. Meet the Burrow Boss, the enforcer, and some of the other family members. Make sure your sound is on so you can hear the music!
San Diego Zoo made me smile with this one! The meerkats all know who's responsible for what and they do their jobs so they don't get whacked. Commenters also got a kick out of the video, and one laughed at, "The fall guy LOL!", and the Zoo responded, "A little clumsy!" I laughed when @aavidrose shared, "Aww, I have an eepy enforcer next to me, now. She's not a meerkat, just a mere cat. See what I did there? Isn't that funny!?"
Why Meerkats Shouldn't be Kept as Pets
Commenter @Bubble Skincare swooned, "They look so soft!!!!" and they are right about that. Meerkats do have a soft coat, and I'd love to pet one so I could feel it! Unfortunately though, meerkats are not meant to be kept as pets. Some people do keep them as exotic pets, but another Pet Helpful article shared "Most animal species that are available and survive in captivity can be privately owned. Depending on one’s definition of a "pet," however, some animals don't fit the bill—and meerkats are a great example."
Why? Meerkats don't adapt well to domestication. They require a diet of mostly insects, birds, scorpions, and lizards...not foods that would be easy to find regularly. Though they have 'cat' in their name, they're not related to felines at all; they're a part of the mongoose family. Mongoose are known to be highly aggressive (they do kill cobras!) and attack quickly and viciously when they feel threatened. Same goes with meerkats. They don't hesitate to attack when threatened or if they feel that their mob is being threatened.
If you live in the U.S. having a meerkat legally as a pet isn't even an option. "Meerkats are a highly regulated species and are not available as pets in the United States. Captive-bred populations exist in Japan and parts of the United Kingdom. Here is a list of The 12 Coolest Exotic Pets That You Can't Own that are rare or nonexistent in private captivity in the U.S."
If you're a fan of meerkats, stick to watching YouTube videos of them or head to your nearest zoo to check them out. They might look cute, but they're definitely not an animal that enjoys snuggling up like a dog or cat does.
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