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It takes a mob to raise a meerkat.

The three pups in the meerkat family, or mob, at the Metro Richmond Zoo are doing well and should go on display in a week or two, zoo owner Jim Andelin said Thursday.

“Our intent is to keep them there as a family group and let them build their numbers,” Andelin said

A checkup by veterinarian Cheryl Antonucci on Monday found that the pups are all boys and all healthy. Born June 25, the youngsters weigh between 7.5 and 8 ounces.

“These young males will have an important role in the meerkat mob by taking on sentry duty, housekeeping chores, babysitting for future litters and food gathering,” Andelin said.

The family can be seen on the Richmond Meerkat Cam at

timesdispatch.com/meerkat-cam. The Meerkat Cam is a partnership of the zoo and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

There is another meerkat group at the zoo in western Chesterfield County, but they are kept in a separate enclosure to keep the mobs from fighting.

No wonder they call it a mob.

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