The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a small southern African mongoose that first shot to fame when it appeared in a series of TV advertisements in 2013. These highly sociable creatures live in colonies and feed mainly on a diet of insects. The best place to view these adorable animals, however, is in their natural habitat, and my festive journey along South Africa’s breathtaking Garden Route would not have been complete without an early morning trip to meet these wonderful creatures.
Most mornings around 5am, Devey Glinister (or a couple of his rangers from De Zeekoe Guest Farm), set out on an early morning mission to visit a colony of meerkats so that they can share the experience with people from around the globe.
It was Christmas Eve, and I was woken up abruptly by my alarm at around 4.30am! It was still dark outside and there was a distinct chill in the air. I got quickly dressed before setting off with my family to the meerkat meeting point, where three cars were already waiting. We were soon dutifully met by two of Devey’s rangers who instructed us to follow them in our cars. We then set off on a short drive that terminated at a large opening, where beyond was an endless expanse of desert just waiting to be explored.
The trip began with coffee and snacks to wake us all up and prepare us for what could potentially be a long wait! We were handed a folding chair each and eventually began our trek out towards the meerkat colony. We then arrived at a large mound of earth which was full of burrows. We positioned our chairs just a short distance away and sat quietly to watch and wait.
The sun started to get up and daylight swept across the desert. I could feel the warmth of the orange glow and within minutes we had our first sighting! A meerkat popped out of a burrow and stood tall, assigning itself to morning sentry duty and surveying the surrounding area for any sign of unwanted predators in the form of jackals, eagles or snakes. The warmth of the sun made the meerkats become quite active and it wasn’t long before more meerkats began to appear, including a couple of young ones. Apparently, the whole colony takes it in turns to look after the young while the parents go off foraging for food. It was amazing that we could all sit so close to them and not disturb their daily activities.
Our two rangers told us that it took ages for them to be able to get as close as this to the colony. The rangers said that when they first found the colony they could not get within a mile of the meerkats before they spotted them and ran for immediate cover. Eventually, over a long time, they were able to get closer and closer. Now that the rangers have been accepted, the meerkats recognise their voices and remain unperturbed by their presence and those accompanying them. It was fine for everyone to take as many photos as they liked, and the rangers even took photos of the group and offered to email them to everyone.
The meerkats spent quite a while around the burrows interacting with one another before scampering further afield in search of breakfast. We were then allowed to follow them quietly to see where they went - they can actually cover quite a lot of ground in a short space of time. I always think it is amazing how nature provides the animal kingdom with appropriate camouflage, and that is certainly true of the meerkat. Its colouring blends in so well with the surrounding desert environment that from a distance it’s difficult to see them until they move. Gradually, they disappeared into the distance and all I was left with was those incredible memories of such a magical experience. I felt very honoured to have had the pleasure of meeting the meerkats and will remember this Christmas eve for the rest of my life!
