Meerkat Maze Is Philadelphia Zoo’s Newest Addition—And It’s Totally Captivating
Small in stature, inquisitive by nature and naturally rambunctious: the aforementioned descriptors might call to mind a troop of adventurous youngsters, but they also apply to the meerkats at Philadelphia Zoo, who are free to roam and socialize with their exhibit comrades as part of the newest addition to Zoo360, a campus-wide trail system that provides animals extended routes to roam around and above the Zoo. Meerkat Maze. The awesome new extension isn’t just great for animals either; visitors benefit from stellar views as well.
The first of its kind, Zoo360 is a groundbreaking addition to Philadelphia Zoo, so it’s no surprise that its latest addition, Meerkat Maze, has also garnered heaps of praise. The system offers an intricate network of twisting trails and pathways for the meerkats, encouraging them to travel freely through ground-based digging routes, lookout towers and more.
Six of the furry animals call Meerkat Maze home: Pete and quintuplets Ari, Nkosi, Sethunya, Kgala, Lulama, all of whom have distinctive personalities. Click here to learn tips to spot each of them. (Ari, for example, has a dye mark on his left shoulder and is typically the last to eat.)
The meerkats aren’t the only ones treated to new vantage points, either—children are invited to enter a parallel maze, which allows them to literally see eye-to-eye with the meerkat mob. It’s a safe, immersive way for little ones to see animals up-close during their adventure.
For other zoo-goers looking to spot specific animals, Philadelphia Zoo also offer a mobile app Zoo360Insider, which allows users to pin locations of animals as they see them. That way, when someone scopes out Nkosi and logs it in the app, you can make the dash to the exhibit and maximize your visit.
For more information about Zoo360 or planning a trip to Philadelphia Zoo, click here.
This is a paid partnership between Philadelphia Zoo and Philadelphia Magazine
