Everyone loves visiting the zoo. There, you see all kinds of animals, some scary and others downright adorable. Although some zoos have meerkats on display, a lot of people don’t know much about them. This small carnivore is part of the mongoose family. They live in desert environments, specifically in South Africa, the southwest region of Angola, and the Namib Desert in Namibia.

Even adults don’t get very big, usually not reaching more than 14 inches long. So, you can only imagine how cute their offspring is. Visitors of the Miami Zoo had the chance to see that for themselves. Making the meerkat exhibit even more exciting was that one female gave birth to some precious babies.

Yam Yam made history|

The female meerkat is called Yam Yam. But she did something that hadn’t been done in more than 72 years. While the Miami Zoo is the oldest in the state and it’s always had these animals on display, this was the first time in over seven decades for one of the females to have babies. Everyone is beyond excited.

People are visiting from near and far

With the word out, people from across the country started visiting the zoo. After all, it’s rare for meerkats to be born in captivity. Of course, zoo officials posted videos and photos of the pups to share with the entire world. And viewers couldn’t get enough.

They’re so fluffy

Like the famous line in the movie “Despicable Me,” it’s true, these pups are incredibly fluffy. They also have bright eyes and tiny button noses. While they’re not quite ready to start exploring, they will be soon. Until then, Yam Yam will keep a close eye on her brood.

She’s beaming with pride

It’s almost as though Yam Yam knows that people around the globe are watching her and her pups. As you look at the camera, it appears as though she’s smiling. Considering she has gorgeous babies and became the first meerkat in 72 years to have babies in Florida, she has every right to. As for Dad, no one’s sure. Officials state the father of the pups could be any one of three brothers also at the zoo.

They’re working as a team

Even though the dad’s identity remains a mystery, Yam Yam, as well as all three brothers are taking excellent care of the pups. Especially since they’re blind at birth and so small, these little ones need all the care they can get. That includes staff members who are taking a “hands-off” approach.

Letting nature take its course

It’s easy to see that these babies are in excellent hands, or in this case, paws. The Miami Zoo posted a statement that read, “We’ll 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 abandonment of the babies.”

But as of now, the family appears to be doing great. These animals live in what’s called “mobs,” each consisting of multiple individuals. Every one of them has a unique job when it comes to raising pups.

Watch the video below to see just how proud Yam Yam is of her beautiful new family.

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Source: Shareably, YouTube