We loved the meerkats so much that we visited them twice, on two different evenings. Apparently, it is difficult to habituate meerkats to human presence, but it can be done. It just takes
tremendous patience and consistency.
Camp Kalahari staff have habituated three different meerkat dens. Each den has a meerkat “Keeper”—someone who follows its members each and every day. The Keepers are there when the meerkats come out of their dens in the morning, they move with them for the entire day—except for a three-hour break in the afternoon—and then they follow them back to their den at dusk. When new ones are born, it is vital that the first thing they see upon exiting the den for the first time is the Keeper. Could there be a better name than “The Keepers”?
The Keepers record how many meerkats return to the den safely each day, who is pregnant, how many little ones are born, and other general behavior. I didn’t see any paper, pen, or electronic records, but it was clear that the Keepers know their meerkats. Like all good researchers, Keepers cannot intervene regardless of what happens. They only observe and move slowly with the den as they move out across their territory each day.
Meerkats spend their day digging up grubs, scorpions, and termites. Their long claws are perfect, and they dig all day long. When they find a good spot, they shove as many critters into their mouth as possible, then they move on to dig in another place. They stay relatively close to one another. Collectively, they never stray very far from their den. Every few minutes, one of them stands erect to search for danger, then drops down to continue foraging, and another takes his turn standing sentry. All the while, they communicate with soft purring noises.
No one is allowed to touch the meerkats, as they are very sensitive to scent and identify family members by it. However, because meerkats are constantly on the lookout for predators, they like to perch on higher ground and look around whenever possible. A sitting or squatting person’s head is a perfect vantage point for spotting hyenas, wild dogs, jackals, and other bad things.
One of these little guys climbs up to perch on top of your head, and it’s so much fun.
We visited a den in the late afternoons and followed the nine family members as they finished their foraging for the day. Then, like clockwork, as the sun was setting, they all started heading back to the den. Once at the den, they sat together, grooming one another. Finally, just before ducking down into the den, they stood sentry once again to take a collective look around. Only when all nine of them were safely in their den did we head back to camp.
I want this job . . . but I would be terrible. I would start by giving them all names. I would defend them against all evil, groom them, and pet them each and every day. I would learn topurr like a meerkat and be one with them!
And that is why I never became a wildlife biologist.