Ever seen a meerkat in a Mazda?

Auckland Zoo and principal partner Mazda are giving visitors the opportunity to win a brand new Mazda2, simply by guessing how many meerkat soft toys are in the car.

Meerkats are extremely social animals - in the wild, it’s unsurprising to see them in groups or ‘mobs’ as large as 30. It may come as a surprise, however, for Auckland Zoo visitors to see a large number of soft toy meerkats in a Mazda2.

From 2 February – 15 March, the Mazda2 is going to be parked in Auckland Zoo’s main entrance for visitors to text 5020 their best guess of how many soft toy meerkats they think are in the car. All correct entries will then go in the grand prize draw to win a Mazda2 GSX, valued at $21,245 (recommended retail price, inclusive of GST, exclusive of on road costs).

Mazda has been a driving force behind many of Auckland Zoo’s local and national conservation efforts since 2012. With three vehicles, a Mazda3, Mazda BT-50 and a Mazda CX-9 on the go, they help make possible the relocation and release of a wide range of animals, the transportation of staff and equipment for fieldwork activities – and now, a Mazda2 for the transportation of a lucky Auckland Zoo visitor!

For those mad about meerkats, there is also a fun new ‘Meerkats in a Mazda2’ game on Auckland Zoo’s facebook page. This gives people the chance to win a Friends of the Zoo annual family pass every week for four weeks. Between 2-27 February - the more you play, the more chances you have to win.

Meerkat facts
· Found in Southern Africa (dominated by Kalahari Desert), including South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.

· Adults stand on average 30cm tall, and weigh 600 to 900 grams.

· Meerkats are born blind, but when they are older, the black around their eyes work like sunglasses, protecting their eyes from the sun - which would be useful if they were to ever drive a Mazda2 on a sunny day!

· These small African mammals communicate by scent, sound and body language. Meerkats have over 20 different calls!

· Amazingly, meerkats are immune to snake and scorpion venom.

Driving conservation
With Mazda’s support, Auckland Zoo has been able to help transport a wide range of native species including whio (blue duck), pateke (brown teal), weta punga, kiwi and kaka. It has not only been native species, Auckland Zoo’s Tasmanian devils were picked up from the airport in the Mazda BT-50!
Zoo staff are always out and about, increasingly utilising their skills in the field around New Zealand. In the last financial year the Zoo contributed over $350,000 worth of staff time to NZ field conservation projects. The Zoo’s vet team has also been, and continues to be involved in a wide range of research, training, and wildlife rescue-related work – many made easier thanks to the driving support of Mazda.

How you can help build a future for wildlife
· Use Auckland Zoo’s online palm oil-free shopping guide, which has an extensive list of palm oil-free supermarket products

· Support Auckland Zoo’s conservation efforts by donating to aucklandzoo.co.nz

Become an Auckland Zoo volunteer or volunteer at a planting day. Go to aucklandzoo.co.nz for more information.

ENDS

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