Meerkat Triplets In Bristol Named Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki After Lion King Characters

PICTURES: Meerkat Triplets Named After Lion King Characters

These three baby meerkats have been named Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki - after characters from the Disney film The Lion King.

The triplets were born three weeks ago at Bristol Zoo Gardens.

The tiny newcomers can already be seen exploring their enclosure alongside the adults. Soon they will learn how to forage and dig in the sand for grubs.

The babies weighed just 30g at birth and are being well looked after by the adult meerkats, which take turns minding them.

Keepers have named the trio after the characters in the popular film - the musical adaptation of which comes to the Bristol Hippodrome this September.

Spring is a popular time of year for animal births at the zoo and the warmer weather means youngsters can often be spotted exploring their new surroundings.

Simon Butler, overseer of mammals, said: "The meerkats were tiny when they were born, with very little fur and eyes tightly closed.

"They are still too small to sex, but we should know if they are males or females in another few months."

Last year Bristol Zoo opened a new, state-of-the-art £100,000 meerkat enclosure, called Meerkat Lookout.

At 152 square metres in size, it is over three times bigger than the previous enclosure, with space for up to 25 meerkats.

It has indoor and outdoor areas for the meerkats and the public, a tunnel and two viewing domes for visitors to get up-close to the animals at eye-level.

It even has cameras hidden inside the meerkats' nest boxes so visitors can see them playing or sleeping even when they are off show.

The nest box cameras can also show visitors when the meerkats have produced babies.

The indoor enclosure is heated and includes warm rocks that provide localised additional warmth for the meerkats.

There are large sandy areas as well for them to dig and forage as well as off-show sections where they can rest and sleep.

See below for a video of some different - but equally cute - baby meerkats at Bristol zoo

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