A playful pair of Meerkat pups have joined Taronga’s active young Francois’ Leaf-monkey, Nangua, and new female Fishing Cat, Maew, on display in time for these school holidays.

The three-month-old pups are developing fast and can often be seen playing and practicing for sentry duty in Taronga’s new African-themed Meerkat exhibit.

The first Meerkats born at Taronga in nearly seven years, the pups have been named ‘Lwazi’ and ‘Serati’ to reflect their African heritage.

“The pups are growing quickly and showing signs of their own little personalities. Lwazi is the bigger of the two and he’s more adventurous and inquisitive, while Serati is quieter and prefers to stay closer to her parents,” said Keeper, Courtney Mahony.

The best time to see the Meerkat family in their new home is during the daily Meerkat Keeper talk at 11.15am.

As part of the Zoo’s Centenary celebrations, Taronga is using the month of April to highlight its commitment to Asian Elephant conservation.

Deforestation for palm oil plantations and logging, as well as illegal wildlife trade and human-elephant conflict are contributing to rapidly declining numbers of Asian Elephants in Sumatra and across Asia.

Visitors can meet Taronga’s Asian Elephants at the daily Elephant Keeper Talk at 1.30pm and grab a Kids Map to explore the Rainforest Trail whilst learning about Taronga’s work to protect wild elephants.

It’s also a great time to explore the Zoo’s the Australian Nightlife nocturnal exhibit where there are new Ghost Bats pups and a gaggle of new Feathertail Gilders. There are also 30 free keeper talks and presentations to enjoy.

Visitors can also visit the Zoo on their birthday for $1 as part of Taronga’s Centenary celebrations, thanks to supporting partner, ANZ. People can register on Taronga’s website to receive a $1 voucher to use on their birthday, along with a special Taronga 100 birthday badge to wear and keep as a great Centenary memento.

There are also now admissions discounts of up to 20% for families who buy their tickets from the Zoo’s website ahead of their visit.

Taronga Zoo is open every day of the school holidays. For more information visit: taronga.org.au/100-years