Edinburgh Zoo meerkats to move in at Royal Hospital for Children to help youngsters connect with nature

Adorable Meerkats from Edinburgh Zoo will be brightening the days of sick children in hospital

Sick children at an Edinburgh hospital will soon be greeted by a clutch of adorable meerkats.

The critters from Edinburgh Zoo will move in to an enclosure in an outdoor classroom at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, in the first programme of its kind outside of Australia. A partnership between Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, NHS Lothian and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the conservation-focused project aims to be an extensive learning and discovery experience for the children.

Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Some children are too unwell or have been in hospital for so long that they don’t have the opportunity to engage with the outdoors, or interact with animals. Many of the children who visit the hospital care passionately about nature and the environment. Our programme will allow them to learn from experts while getting up close to the best teachers of all – the meerkats themselves.

Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Children and Young People patient Rosa Carter with the Edinburgh Zoo meerkats. (Photo: Chris Watt Photography)

"The wellbeing benefits of engaging with animals and using nature in the healing process are well documented, and there’s great excitement within the hospital in anticipation of our furry friends arriving.”

The meerkat enclosure will replicate the animals’ natural habitat and zookeepers from Edinburgh Zoo will care for them and provide meerkat educational sessions while on site.

David Field, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Our conservation education programme has already been a great success and now we are taking this incredible next step by creating the only meerkat enclosure at a children’s hospital outside of Australia, making this a first in the UK and Europe.

“Being close to nature and animals can have a tremendous impact on people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. We also know that people and communities are more likely to help protect nature when they have had the opportunity to connect with our natural world. We are really looking forward to bringing a group of meerkats to live at the hospital next year and seeing the impact this will have for the children and their families.”

Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Children and Young People patient Rosa Carter with the Edinburgh Zoo meerkats. (Photo: Chris Watt Photography)

Allister Short of NHS Lothian said: “We are really excited about this innovative programme. Meerkats have been introduced into many children’s hospitals in Australia and this unique concept encourages children to learn and be inspired, particularly when they’re in hospital for long periods of time. We want to brighten up our patients’ days in an educational way and we know that the meerkats will be an exciting addition to the hospital.”

The programme is currently in the early stages of planning and it is hoped the meerkats will move into their new home at the hospital from 2024.