Meerkat pups born at Blair Drummond safari park
Busta, Missy and Emmie have emerged from their den.
Last updated 29th Aug 2023
Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park has welcomed three tiny meerkat pups. Born to first-time parents Cardi B and Biggie, who joined the park's meerkat community in April 2022, these pups are the first to be born in the park in five years.
In a nod to their parent’s rapper names, the team at Blair Drummond named the trio Busta, Missy and Emmie (short for Eminem).
The blind, deaf, nearly bald pups are born underground, safe from predators, after a 2.5-month pregnancy. For their first ten days, their eyes and ears remain closed, but soon they open to explore their surroundings.
As the weeks pass, the pups continue to flourish under the protective care of their parents, gradually venturing beyond the burrow's confines at the three-week mark. A key milestone emerges between four and six weeks of age when they begin to experiment with solid foods, a vital step towards their eventual independence. Impressively, by sixteen weeks, these once-helpless pups transform into self-sufficient individuals.
Carolyn Booth, the dedicated Pets Farm Team Leader, said: ‘Our pups emerged from their den on the 11th of August, so we estimate that they are just over a month old. We had been hearing some little squeaks from the burrow in the weeks prior, so we were hopeful that some pups were on the way. As the pups begin to explore their surroundings, we can see that they are growing more confident by the day.’