Meerkat mum surprises keepers with new pups

A meerkat at a Leeds zoo has taken keepers by surprise by showing off two new pups - before staff had even confirmed she was expecting.

Keepers at Tropical World in Roundhay suspected Soya Bean was pregnant and booked her in for an ultrasound.

But the 11-year-old presented the pups in her nestbox a few days before her appointment on 21 April and she is now showing them off to visitors.

Mohammed Rafique, of Leeds City Council, said it was "always exciting to welcome new arrivals to our zoos and I'm pleased that the meerkat family is doing well".

Soya Bean was among the original mob of meerkats at Tropical World and gave birth to two male pups in 2020, called Jelly Bean and Lima Bean.

Proud father of the new arrivals Jay-Z, five, arrived from Flamingo Land in 2022 as a potential mate for Soya Bean.

The meerkat babies have yet to be named but keepers said they would follow the "Bean" family tradition.

Tropical World recently launched a meerkat adoption scheme allowing visitors to support their upkeep, as well as the zoo's conservation projects.

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