A group of meerkats is to move into a children’s hospital to give young patients the opportunity to connect with nature.
The meerkats from Edinburgh Zoo will live in a new enclosure to be built at NHS Lothian’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) in the Scottish capital.
The initiative, said to be the first of its kind outside Australia, is being delivered through a partnership between Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC), the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and NHS Lothian.
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo currently delivers a weekly programme of educational activities at the RHCYP, and having meerkats on site will give patients the opportunity to learn about nature and the environment.
ECHC chief executive Roslyn Neely said: “Some children are too unwell or have been in hospital for so long that they don’t have the opportunity to engage with the outdoors, or interact with animals.
“Many of the children who visit the hospital care passionately about nature and the environment.
“Our programme will allow them to learn from experts while getting up close to the best teachers of all – the meerkats themselves.
“The wellbeing benefits of engaging with animals and using nature in the healing process are well documented, and there’s great excitement within the hospital in anticipation of our furry friends arriving.”
The programme is currently in the early stages of planning and it is hoped the meerkats will move into their new home at the RHCYP from 2024.
Being close to nature and animals can have a tremendous impact on people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing— David Field, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
There will be five animals in the enclosure in the Castle Mey courtyard, which will replicate their natural habitat, with sand, rocks and logs.
It will feature Perspex panels so that children in pushchairs or wheelchairs can see the meerkats.
Keepers from Edinburgh Zoo will care for the meerkats and provide educational sessions, both in communal spaces, at bedsides and outside at the enclosure.
RZSS chief executive David Field said: “Our conservation education programme has already been a great success and now we are taking this incredible next step by creating the only meerkat enclosure at a children’s hospital outside of Australia, making this a first in the UK and Europe.
“Being close to nature and animals can have a tremendous impact on people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing.
“We also know that people and communities are more likely to help protect nature when they have had the opportunity to connect with our natural world.
“We are really looking forward to bringing a group of meerkats to live at the hospital next year and seeing the impact this will have for the children and their families.”
We want to brighten up our patients’ days in an educational way and we know that the meerkats will be an exciting addition to the RHCYP— Allister Short, NHS Lothian
In Edinburgh all the welfare needs of the animals, such as feeding and veterinary care, will be overseen by RZSS, which will provide expert animal keepers, vets and trained volunteers.
NHS Lothian will lead on all aspects of patient safety.
Allister Short, director of women’s and children’s services at NHS Lothian, said: “We are really excited about this innovative programme coming to the RHCYP.
“Meerkats have been introduced into many children’s hospitals in Australia and this unique concept encourages children to learn and be inspired, particularly when they’re in hospital for long periods of time.
“We want to brighten up our patients’ days in an educational way and we know that the meerkats will be an exciting addition to the RHCYP.”
