Prepare to have your heart melt into a puddle. The latest additions to Zoo Miami will most definitely steal your heart and, in my opinion, are in the running for the cutest baby animals on this planet.
On January 18, Zoo Miami welcomed two meerkat pups – the first in the zoo’s history. Yam Yam, the zoo’s eight-year-old female who arrived at the zoo from Busch Gardens in February 2012 gave birth to two pups. Zoo staff are unsure which of the three unrelated males, Gizmo, Joe, or Diego, fathered the babies.
How could you not want to cuddle with these adorable creatures?
While it may be extremely tempting to pick one of the meerkats, staff at the zoo have kept their hands off.
According to the zoo, the hands-off approach will “allow the group to properly bond with the infants and created barriers in front of the public side of the exhibit to minimize any disturbances that may cause excess stress on the new family and lead to the abandonment of the babies.”
Ron Magill, the zoo’s communications director, told the New Times that Diego appears the most attached to the babies.
“Diego seems to thoroughly enjoy being with them, keeping them warm, keeping them protected.”
The pups recently opened their eyes – they’re born blind – and are slowly weaning off their mother’s breastmilk. They are also starting to explore outside of their den, but only to see what’s going on outside.
Until they’re ready to make their big debut at Zoo Miami, you can watch them and the other meerkats on the zoo’s meerkat webcam.
Aren’t they just the cutest? Share if you agree these history making meerkats are the cutest little creatures.
