Franklin the Meerkat (c.2011-2025)
Obituary
Franklin the Meerkat died following an illness at the Henry Vilas Zoo.
Franklin, a 14-year-old meerkat, died in September 2025 after a brief illness at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Wisconsin. He had eight children after being transferred to the zoo in 2018.
Meerkats are members of the mongoose family. They are known for standing upright on their hind legs. They live in southern Africa in groups called mobs, gangs, or clans. Meerkat communities are matriarchal. The top female produces up to 80% of the young, who are raised collectively by the clan. Meerkats are very social, grooming one another and caring for sick clan members. They also work together, using lookouts to defend against predators like hawks and hunting communally by communicating through purring sounds.
Though meerkats are not threatened or endangered, they are common animals at zoos because they’re “cute.” The Henry Vilas Zoo said Franklin was “popular” with guests and gave them “joy.” Meerkats are not kept in zoos for conservation purposes. They are entertainers, held for people’s enjoyment. A meerkat’s vast desert habitat and complex social relationships in the wild cannot be replicated in a small enclosure. World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves meerkats to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or sanctuaries.
