Meerkats favorite webcam animal at Riverbanks Zoo

COLUMBIA - Webcam fans have voted on their favorite ZooView animal, and the active, slender-tailed meerkat has stolen the show. Throughout the month of September, the meerkats will be the star of the SCE&G ZooView webcam.

"This is not a huge surprise given the enormous popularity of meerkats," said Dargan Davis, public relations manager for Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. "These captivating creatures have gained notoriety with Animal Planet's hit show, Meerkat Manor."

The animals with the highest monthly viewership over the past year were selected for the ZooView mystery animal promotion. Viewers picked between the penguins, grizzly bears, meerkats and tigers. Penguins were the runner-up in the promotion, and the camera will zoom inside the Bird House's Penguin Coast exhibit on Oct. 4. Feedings at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. promise lots of diving, splashing and even a little pushing and shoving for fish.

To view the meerkats, visit one of these sponsoring Web sites: www.riverbanks.org; www.scegzooview.com; www.wltx.com; or www.niethestate. com.