BOISE, Idaho — Now that Thanksgiving and Black Friday have passed, next is Cyber Monday and more importantly, Giving Tuesday, or Giving Zoo Day.
Zoo Boise is looking for community members to consider making contributions to the zoo for this year's Giving Zoo Day for rehousing and increasing the quality of life for their two meerkats.
Peanut and Kinjani, the meerkats of Zoo Boise, are currently living in the Zoo Boise gift shop, until their habitat's renovations are complete.
“Right now, we are housing the meerkats in our gift shop to make sure that visitors get an opportunity to see them during their visit," Harry Peachey, curator at Zoo Boise, told KTVB Saturday. "A number of species are going to be positively impacted by this renovation, but the meerkats in particular are one that we've been anxious to give more space to, more opportunity to.”
The annual Giving Zoo Day event routinely raises money for projects benefiting the animals, usually building them newer, upgraded homes.
Zoo Boise's 2024 Giving Zoo Day has a goal to raise $13,500 to contribute to a new meerkat enclosure.
Up to $20,000 in donations received will be matched up to by a generous donor.
“We're going to provide our meerkats with a an improved quality of life, again, more opportunities to dig, to interact socially, to engage in the kind of play that they were famous for,” said Peachey. “This money is going to be earmarked toward a new enclosure for our meerkats that will be part of the expansion of the small animal kingdom here at the zoo.”
Peachey said the animals need much more space, as they also hope to add more meerkats to their collection.
“They'll be in an area where they can dig tunnels," Peachey said. “They're very, very active. They're very social. Giving them more space and different substrates, allowing them to stay out overnight, will improve their quality of life tremendously.”
The project is part of a larger master plan that will also benefit other animals' habitats.
Year to year, the zoo decides which animals will be the center of each Giving Zoo Day.
"Meerkats are just one of the species that will be housed in small animal kingdom after it's renovated," Peachey said. “Our fruit bats will benefit from that. Our flying foxes, again, this is a multi species complex that will play host to a number of spaces.”
The zoo encourages support from community members because it helps improve the animals’ lives as well as the visitor experiences.
“I used to come here with my dad and my mom and my siblings and stuff,” one visitor told KTVB. “I have a lot of great memories at the zoo.”
Peachey said it's the zoo's responsibility to ensure the animals have the homes they deserve.
“Zoo Boise is your zoo, and we know that you, like us, want to make sure that we provide the best we can for our residents,” said Peachey. "By making a contribution on Giving Zoo Day, you're part of that process, you are making this happen.”
While Giving Zoo Day is a significant fundraiser for the zoo, it only represents a small part of the year-round work the zoo does in overall fundraising efforts.
“The goal of every major zoo in the country, is to do the best job we can and provide the best quality of life for the animals that reside here," said Peachey. "It's more than important; it's it's an obligation, and we recognize that.”
Giving Zoo Day is a few days away but Zoo Boise is already taking donations now for Peanut and Kinjani’s new home home. You can donate here.