We'll never know if Francine the meerkat was enjoying the alone time or not, but zookeepers should soon get an indication of whether she was in need of some affection, now that a new stable of four eligible suitors has arrived at the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

The males — named Eduardo, Bentley, Aranos and Andulo — happen to be brothers and were brought in from Calgary to give Francine, 13, some love. The hope is they become more than friends, and early signs suggest the brothers are eager for Francine's attention.

"Meerkat intros can kind of be notoriously difficult, so we were very happy to see how quickly the entire group was starting to get along," said zookeeper Lianne Thompson. "That happened on Day 1."

Meerkats often stand on their hind legs and measure between 25 to 35 centimetres. (Assiniboine Park Zoo)

Francine has been on her own since Leslie, a 15-year-old male, passed away early this year.

"He lived a good long life, and so we didn't want to introduce any new meerkats while he was still alive, because it would be putting in these young youthful boys in with this kind of older man, so we decided to let him live out his life."

Zoo staff eased Francine and the males into the transition by first coating the entire enclosure with baby powder, which masks any lingering territorial smells, to give them all "a fresh start," said Thompson.

The first meeting happened while the males were still in quarantine. A mesh sheet separated them from Francine but they were able to go "nose to nose" to get a scent of one another.

"They were all really, really interested in each other," said Thompson.

Then, staff let Francine into the enclosure with just one: Andulo.

"They just kind of wandered about as if they had been living together for a very long time already, and then about 10-15 minutes in we started seeing some breeding behaviour, so pretty quick."

Innuendo aside, the males were chosen due to their superb genetics and breeding potential. The goal is to soon see baby meerkats running around the Kinsmen Discovery Centre to boost the species population.

All of the males are pretty friendly, says Thompson, but Andulo and Edwardo are particularly friendly. They're keen to jump up on the laps of zookeepers when they enter the enclosure, she said.

Staff coated the enclosure with baby powder before letting the males in to neutralize any lingering scents from past meerkats. (Assiniboine Park Zoo)

Meerkats are members of the mongoose family and are from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana. They're slim and trim and measure between 25 to 35 centimetres in length. They're also the first non-human mammal that's been documented actively teaching their offspring, rather than letting them learn through passive observation alone, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

In the wild, meerkats thrive in a complex social structure and live in large groups, which is another reason why Thompson says it's nice for Francine to have some company.

"They will have a breeding male and a female, so kind of that dominance, and everyone else just kind of works together to raise young and protect and guard and go out and find food," said Thompson.

"It's just really healthy for [Francine] to have that company, because they are a very social animal, having her be by herself is not an ideal thing."

There's been a few spats between the boys over the fact that there was "this new fancy female hanging out with them," Thompson said.

While the verdict is still out as to which male is Francine's favourite, Thompson says the good news is they're all getting along.

"They all kind of hang out together, snuggle together, and we are seeing some breeding happening," Thompson said with a laugh.

Meerkats typically breed until the age of about 14 or 15, so staff are optimistic Francine will give birth again in her life, Thompson said.