Meerkats Scoop Top Prize at Oscars!

The most glamorous event of the zoo social calendar has taken place at award-winning Drusillas Park. The 2013 Animal Oscars gave recognition to a host of four-legged stars for the enjoyment they have brought to many people’s lives.  The Awards proved a roaring success and were even reported to rival this year’s prestigious Academy Awards, which took place on Sunday. 

Amongst the winners on the night, the Meerkats predictably bagged the ‘Best Animal’ award as voted for by the public.  These furry favourites have been long standing icons of the zoo route and have received the highest number of animal adoptions over the last 12 months. 

Clementine, the beautiful black lemur scooped ‘Best Leading Lady’. In the lemur world, females rule the troop and this dynamite diva not only reigns supreme over her own family, she also directs the nine ring-tailed residents of Lemurland too.  

‘Best Original Sound Track’ was awarded to the fittingly named lar gibbons. These graceful apes are excellent songsters; the distinctive whopping of their morning chorus is audible up to half a mile away and is unrivalled by any other species. 

The rainbow lorikeets winged their way to the top of the leader board for ‘Costume Design’; the brightly coloured birds had clearly practiced their speech and delivered it in parrot fashion. Plus with no great surprise, ‘Rear of the Year’ was picked up by the Sulawesi black crested macaques - butt there really was no competition!

‘Lifetime Achievement’ was bestowed on Barney the Capuchin Monkey. He is one of the longest standing and most popular residents at Drusillas; the cheeky chap was born at the zoo in May 1990 and is well known for his fun outlook on life. 

However, the most important question on everyone’s lips: Who wore what on the night? The critics were out in force - coupling style with panache the penguins were well turned out in black tie, leading the procession up the red carpet, followed by the cotton-topped tamarins with their flamboyant and unmistakable headdresses.  

The red carpet also  revealed its share of designer disasters but it was the bats that committed the greatest fashion faux pas of all with their outdated gothic look! Bat wings went out in the 80s; better luck next year.