When it comes to safari hunting in Africa, some game hunting enthusiasts prefer a specialty game hunting safari to be included with a Dangerous 7 or African plains game hunt. The meerkat (Suricata suricatta), also known as the suricate, is a member of the mongoose family and makes an interesting and unusual opportunistic add-on to any hunt in Southern Africa. They are listed by the IUCN with a status of “least concern” and make a great game hunting trophy when hunting in Africa.
Meerkats prefer regions that are semi-arid or desert and are found throughout Southern Africa in grasslands, deserts, and savanna-type vegetation.
Meerkats are very social creatures, with pack numbers varying between 3-30. They live in burrows, which are interlinked with tunnels. These burrows and tunnels can have 2-3 different levels, allowing the meerkats plenty of space, as the burrow systems can reach up to 16 feet across, and 5 feet in depth. Their range is around 1.9 square miles, with a few burrows scattered throughout the territory. This territory is marked with scent from anal scent glands.
Apart from the obvious place to rest and shelter, these burrows also protect meerkats from the extreme heat and cold that can be felt in the region. They have been known to share their burrows with a mongoose species and make use of burrows built by ground squirrels.
Mating takes place throughout the year, although there are seasonal peaks. After 60-70 days’ gestation, a litter of 3-7 pups is born within the burrow. The dominant female will be the one most likely to reproduce and will chase away any other females when she nears her time to give birth, for fear of her pups being attacked. Any other female that does reproduce is at risk of having her pups killed by the dominant female. Other females do have litters, but their chance of survival is less. When it comes to rearing the young, all members of the group assist in caring for the pups.
Meerkats are carnivorous, feasting on a variety of meerkat delicacies, including beetles, scorpions, insects, termites, snakes, rodents, and spiders. When water is scarce in the semi-arid and desert regions they occupy, they dig for tubers to satisfy their thirst.
They can stand on their back legs, like little sentries standing guard, and scan the horizon for any threats. And that is exactly what they do: One meerkat will stand as a “lookout” while other members of the group forage for food. The lookout is keeping an eye out for predators and gives a shrill high-pitched call should one appear. This gives the group time to run and hide from the threat.
Being so small, it is not only man that are targeting them on safari hunting trips, but they fall victim to the likes of large birds of prey, including hawks and eagles, as well as snakes, hyenas, and jackals.
