A Meerkat Diary: My Journey into the Wild World of a Meerkat Mob
FEBRUARY 2 It was a long trip but we’re finally here Sitting next to the pilot in our little bush plane I could see the Makgadikgadi Pan ahead of us as we flew in This area of flat land is huge as big as the country of Switzerland Suddenly the sunlight got so bright I could barely open my eyes The pilot explained that all the salt left over from the dried-up lake was reflecting the sun A little later we landed on a tiny strip of dirt in the middle of the desert We drove to camp with all our gear Motto and Villa were there waiting to meet us Motto is a meerkat habituator which might just be the coolest job in the world He spends hours every day hanging around the meerkats so they become comfortable around people instead of fearful This gives visitors a very special opportunity to observe meerkats in their natural habitat Villa is a naturalist guide who knows everything about the desert environment He showed us some beautiful photos he’d taken of the meerkats we’ll be meeting tomorrow morning I’m so excited I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight Meet the meerkat team From left to right Motto Keitumetse me Becky Cliffe and Villa Moatshe 6
Becky and I are staying in a beautiful place called Jack’s Camp We’ll be sleeping in a gorgeous tent under palm trees We feel so fortunate and grateful to be here 7
FEBRUARY 3 Today we met our meerkat mob It always seems funny to call such cute little animals a mob but that’s the word for a meerkat community Before dawn Motto and Villa drove us to the meerkats location We quietly approached a large hole in the ground This was the burrow where the meerkats live We lay down in the grass on our bellies so we looked small and not scary to the meerkats Meerkat mobs have a female leader called a matriarch This mob’s matriarch Maghogho was the first to appear She stuck her head out and looked around Then she came all the way out and stood up on her hind legs Villa explained that it gets very cold underground all night so Maghogho was warming up by exposing her nearly bare belly to the heat of the morning sun Standing on her back legs is also how she looks out for predators such as birds of prey or jackals Motto has been doing a great job of habituating the meerkats because even though Maghogho saw us she wasn’t afraid Instead she made some chirping sounds she was letting her family know it was safe to come out Becky and I had seen Maghogho in some documentary shows so we recognized her right away She must be one of the most famous meerkats in the world 8
Soon a large face peeked out of the hole The father of the pups stared at us before barking and running out to join Maghogho He stood up to warm himself too but he kept a watchful eye on us We decided to name him Stinky because he kept giving us the stink eye Stinky was pretty new to the mob so he hadn’t been exposed to humans as much But Motto reassured us that Stinky would soon grow to trust us Villa said that the meerkats sunbathe every sunny morning What a lovely way to start the day for the humans too 9
