Vienna Zoo Schönbrunn is delighted about four dwarf mongoose babies

However, according to the zoo's information from Thursday, the curiosity of the mammals is growing day by day. They are watched over by the ever-vigilant adult animals, who do not leave the side of the offspring.

Dwarf Mongoose Offspring in Vienna: Animals Weigh Only 300 Grams Even When Fully Grown

If a young animal does not return to the burrow quickly enough in the event of a perceived danger, the parent animals and older siblings react quickly and carry them back there in their mouths. "Dwarf mongooses have an interesting social system. They live sociably in small groups. Usually, only the highest-ranking female has offspring. However, everyone helps with the rearing," said curator Eveline Dungl.

Dwarf mongooses are among the smallest mongoose species and weigh only 300 grams even when fully grown. In the meantime, they are almost no longer suckled. "The little ones are already trying everything on the menu: minced beef, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and especially insects. You can see that they are little predators, as they are already enthusiastically chasing after crickets," said zookeeper Anja Kienast-Doppler.

In the wild, the animals spend a lot of time searching for food, so the team of zookeepers regularly comes up with new activity ideas. The food is hidden in bamboo tubes or boxes, for example. In the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, the home of the dwarf mongooses, the animals share their habitat with red-billed hornbills - just like in the East Africa House at the Vienna Zoo Schönbrunn. And there is also currently offspring among the red-billed hornbills, the feathered bird species with a strikingly large beak.

(APA/Red)

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