Is the LA Zoo's lone meerkat lonely?

Woe unto the LA Zoo, whose captive meerkat, Chico, has lived alone since January, when its burrow-mate died. Animal Planet's smash hit, Meerkat Manor, has made the furry mammals into international media stars, and turned millions of viewers into impassioned meerkat advocates.

Now comes the Chico Project, a grass-roots campaign urging the LA Zoo to hurry up and give its lone -- and, they say, desperately lonely -- meerkat a companion. A petition has been started and more than 1,000 signatures have been collected.

Science is on their side of the petitioners, as meerkats live in large, communal groups that share chores like child rearing and guarding the burrow. Lynn Smith has more on the story:

Just as his TV brethren, Chico needs company, contend local activists.

"Kids ask, 'Where are his friends? He needs to have friends.' It's very sad," said Janelle Fisher of Sierra Madre, leader of the Chico Project, which has focused on the lone meerkat since his burrow mate died in January.

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But zoo officials disagree. Meerkats can be managed as solitary animals with appropriate care, said Jason Jacobs, an L.A. Zoo spokesman. Other institutions, including the Denver Zoo, also tend to lone meerkats.

Zoo officials told Lynn that have, in fact, looked into relocating Chico. Details on why it may not work in the rest of Lynn's story about the meerkats, right here.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Animal Planet

Comments

[Lindsey O'Connor]

Whether or not solitary meerkats can be "managed" is somewhat immaterial. Many things in life can be "managed." That doesn't make them desirable. Chico needs company, either that of other meerkats or even a companion of another species. I recognize that the Zoo obviously cares about Chico's welfare; however, their caring has not yet translated into action on his behalf.

[Angie aka Meerkata]

Unfortunately there are too many people in this world that make comments like: "Leave the decisions to the experts", well guess what, by leaving the decisions to the experts is why Chico is alone, Ruby was removed, Reggie keeps getting out, Giraffes are getting sunburned due to lack of shade and the list goes on and on.
It's appalling that the zoo whenever questioned use the statement: "There are lone meerkats in the wild", well you know what there are but not by there choosing, and lone meerkats in the wild usually don't last long. But the main thing is Chico's not in the wild, he's in your zoo under your care and you have failed to give him the most basic of needs, companionship.

I personally have sent tons of emails to Jason Jacobs, John Lewis and the zoo and only got 1 response saying they will have a resolution soon.
The attitiude the zoo has now taken is; we have him so don't tell us how to do our job. The problem with that is John Lewis the Director put a Public Relations person Jason Jacobs as the caretaker of Chico, now mind you this man knows nothing about meerkats yet he's responsible for Chico.

I think it's horrible that Chico was removed from his family in Louisville when there are so many surplus females that could've easily made a good companion for Spanky. Now that Spanky is dead there's slim to no chance that Chico's family will allow him back in, especially since he's been gone so long. If the zoo had any thoughts of getting Chico a burrowmate it would not have taken 8 months, a P.O. Box and Petition to be started to even get a reaction from them. As their own employee stated in March; "We are waiting for something to happen to him" and that's exactly what they are doing, only they didn't anticipate the public getting involved.

At this point in time I feel that the zoo should give up Chico and forget about getting other meerkats because it's quite obvious they can't properly care for them. I also feel that the public should be so outraged by this that they demand John Lewis step down as Zoo Director.
We are not going away and this is only the beginning, the L.A. Zoo really needs to make things right by Chico and the other animals that they are mistreating there.

[Janelle]

The so called "experts are the ones that got the zoo into trouble to begin with. Meerkats do not live on their own. Plain and simple. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know this. Meerkats in the wild die from being stalked by predators and the zoos knows this. They cannot forage on their won. It takes a group of meerkats to survive in the wild. Now since Chico is in the zoo and not in the wild each animal in the zoos care requires specific care and needs. Even children know this. No doctorate required anywhere. If the zoo does not want to bother with what Chico's needs, then they need to move him to a zoo that can take care of him properly. He came from the Louisville Zoo and he should be returned there. The L.A. Zoos director put a PR guy, Jason Jacobs, in charge of Chico. Let me see what type of a doctorate does this require? Oh and by the way you do not need a doctorate to be a zookeeper. Obviously whoever thinks that needs to go back to their pathetic life and leave the people who care about animals alone. They can call us anything they want. We just want the zoo to take care of Chico properly. It is not about us it is about an animal that is dying in the L.A.Zoos "care" or I should say their exhibit. No proper care is being given. No exercise, no stimulation, no companionship..Just excess meerkat kibble and chocolate being thrown into the exhibit. Poor poor job from the so called experts!

[Donna Rosenberger]

A zoo is a public trust - it does not exist for it's own sake. That any of the zoo personnel do not see themselves as animal activists - the dictionary definition of which is "a strong advocate..." - is unacceptable. In this case, it has been almost criminal when one considers the hardship this small animal endures.

Meerkats sleep underground, in burrows. While L.A. tends to be a warmer area than many others that have meerkat exhibits, it still gets cold. Meerkats bundle together for body warmth. Chico faces another cold season without companions for warmth. I sincerely doubt that the zoo has installed warming lights under the ground for him!

I personally have passed Chico's story to many of my co-workers, friends and family. L.A. recieves a large share of the American tax dollar: however, no one I have spoken with wants to come to a zoo to see sickly, overweight, listless or stressed animals. Those days are gone.

Listen to children when they speak of the animals. They know so much more than we did generations ago; they understand life enhancements and enrichment for animals They are growing up in a world where nature is begining to recieve the respect it deserves. And they are growing up to be proactive. L.A Zoo, beware: these are your next patrons. Your actions are impacting current and future funding. Many tourists WILL take the extra time to drive further south to see the excellent facilities in San Diego.

The zoo is irresponsible and not living up to the expectations of the public. They are violating that trust with their cavalier attitude and lack of action.

[Leigh Hale]

I've spent a lot of time around meerkats, having volunteered for 2 weeks on Earthwatch International's Meerkats of the Kalahari project in South Africa in 2006. This, coupled with multiple visits to Fellow Earthlings, has made it clear to me how incredibly social these animals are. I would certainly hope that something will be done soon to either relocate this meerkat or add others.

I've also been bothered by some other aspects of this exhibit. The fact that zoo-goers are able to throw unhealthy food to the meerkat is horrible - I once got into an argument with a guest who didn't seem to understand that popcorn is not good for meerkats! Also, the fact that guests can observe from a high point above the enclosure - as animals who are most at risk from avian predators, this makes for a continuously stressful environment for the meerkats, as they constantly are nervously turning to see what's above them. I would certainly hope any zoo would do their homework and avoid such design elements that would cause the animals to feel they are under contant threat!