THREE tiny meerkat pups have been born at a Scottish safari park after a tense start to their lives.
Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park have announced the “joyful” arrival of three meerkat pups to parents Cardi B and Biggie.
The pups join their three older siblings who were born last summer in the parents' first litter.
The meerkat family faced an unexpected challenge when temperatures dropped much lower than normal as the park’s keepers grew concerned when they found one of the pups appearing lifeless.
READ MORE: Census reveals size of Scotland's LGBT community for first time
The keepers had to act quickly and brought the family indoors.
Animal collections manager Kristine Fennessy Alexander warmed the lifeless pup by holding it against her skin for around five minutes until the pup “remarkably” began to show signs of life.
The little pup was then placed under a heat lamp for an hour, was given a few doses of critical care, and made a “miraculous” recovery.
“It was a tense moment, but the pup showed incredible resilience. We are all relieved and delighted by its recovery," Alexander said.
Meerkats are born blind, deaf, and nearly bald underground and are looked after by their parents to keep them safe from predators.
For the first 10 days, the pups' eyes and ears remain closed, but soon they will open and the youngsters will be able to explore their surroundings.
Their siblings also share the duty of raising the pups with their parents as meerkats are known for their strong social bonds.
Carolyn Booth, the dedicated Pets Farm team leader, said: “Thanks to the quick actions of the team, we were luckily able to ensure the survival of all three pups.
“It’s wonderful to see this little family grow, and we are happy to report that all members are pitching in to take care of the little ones. As the pups begin to explore their surroundings, we can see that they are growing more confident by the day.”
For anyone who wants to keep up to date with the pups at the Blair Drummond Safari Park, they can follow their progress on their social media platforms.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel