Meerkats Zig and Zag finally move into new home after rescue centre's licensing dispute solved
Richmond Exotics provide a home to over 80 rescued exotic animals
Meerkat siblings Zig and Zag have been able to move into a new enclosure and join all the other animals at Richmond Exotics rescue centre after a solution has been found to a long-running licensing dispute.
Richmond Exotics provide a home to over 80 exotic animals, including Bob the red iguana, Cuddles the royal python, and Stumpy the bearded dragon, as well as an array of other lizards, tortoises, and arachnids, which have been rescued from owners who were struggling cope or had discarded their ‘pets’.
Two of those rescue animals are two-year-old meerkat brother and sister Zig and Zag.
Founder Beck Richmond said: “They were being kept in a kitchen, which wasn’t really suitable. The family that owned Zig and Zag decided to move to new country. It’s very difficult to integrate new meerkats into an existing mob, which is why zoos wouldn’t take them and we ended up giving them a home”
A pen was constructed in the the garden of Becky and her husband Chris’s Washington home where the couple were at the time operating their rescue service from.
In April (2026), the couple’s “dream came true” when they moved into a new rescue centre home in the grounds of Clays Garden in Washington where they were able to transfer all their rescued animals to their new home.
All that is, except for Zig and Zag, who were unable to move into their new home as Becky and Chris were told it would result in the rescue centre needing a zoo licence, the cost of which the charity simply couldn’t afford.
However, a solution was found when the charity applied for and were granted a pet shop licence which arrived on September 10.
Becky explained: “It was suggested that we could apply for a pet shop licence, which is what we did. The Council initially turned it down, but at the end of August they contacted us to say they had reviewed the decision and decided we could have the licence which would allow Zig and Zag to move into the rescue centre.
“We don’t consider ourselves a pet shop and are very much a rescue centre, but the fact we charge adoption fees for the animals we rehome allowed us to qualify. We would never have been able to afford the cost of a zoo licence”
Zig and Zag have now moved into their £1,500 purpose built home which includes an indoor and outdoor space, tunnels, and heat lamp.
Becky said: “Zig and Zag have much more space and it’s amazing to see them in their new home. Their quality of life is as good as it can be in captivity. Their coats look great, they have bright eyes, and they are exhibiting natural behaviours.
“People visiting the centre have all loved seeing the meerkats and along with Bob the iguana, they are a big favourite, particularly with children. There has been an amazing response to Zig and Zag.”
One of those visitors was Christina McCullough, who was visiting the centre with two-year-old son Matthew.
Christina, 41, from Washington, said: “The rescue centre to a brilliant job and the meerkats have really caught Matthew’s attention.”