Baby meerkats at Belfast Zoo named in honour of Marie Curie's Great Daffodil Appeal

Leading end of life charity, Marie Curie, has announced that two baby meerkats born at Belfast Zoo have been named 'Daffo' and 'Dil' in honour of their biggest annual fundraiser, the Great Daffodil Appeal.

The Great Daffodil Appeal encourages everyone to wear Marie Curie's iconic daffodil pins and donate to the end of life charity throughout the month of March, to help them bring expert end of life care to more people.

Marie Curie is also celebrating 60 years of delivering care in Northern Ireland, this year.

Anne McRoberts, Deputy Head of Fundraising at Marie Curie Northern Ireland, said: "The Great Daffodil Appeal is our biggest fundraising event of the year, so we're delighted that Belfast Zoo is helping us to mark the occasion in this very special way. The generous support we receive from the public helps Marie Curie Nurses and healthcare professionals continue to provide expert end of life care at home and in our hospice, as well as wrap-around services such as our Support Line. We simply couldn't do it without public support."

She continued: "By picking up a daffodil pin or making a donation this month, you can help Marie Curie continue to provide expert end of life care and support for people with any illness they are likely to die from. And we hope it will make you think of the two newest members of the Marie Curie family – the meerkats 'Daffo' and 'Dil'."

Marie Curie runs an 18-bed hospice in Belfast, as well as providing a hospice care at home service to every county in Northern Ireland. In 2023/2024, more than 4,660 people in NI were cared for by their hospice care at home service.

In addition, the charity also operates a free support line and webchat, bereavement services and companion services for people living with a terminal illness as well as for their loved ones.

Angela Duffy, Healthcare Assistant at Marie Curie Northern Ireland, said: "People tend to know Marie Curie for our hospice, but lots of people aren't aware that we also provide care at home, which is where most people want to be at the end of their lives. It's a great privilege for me to provide specialist care to someone in what can often be their final months, weeks, or days of life. Sadly, we know that not enough people in Northern Ireland are receiving this care, despite the majority of us needing it. We hope that the Great Daffodil Appeal, and this wonderful partnership with Belfast Zoo, will help to raise much needed awareness of this issue."

Ruairi Donaghy, Senior Zookeeper at Belfast Zoo, said: "Daffo and Dil's mum and dad, Sergi and Luna, arrived from Wild Ireland in October, and surprised us with the birth of two pups a few weeks later! We were delighted when Marie Curie contacted us and proposed the partnership, as it was perfect timing, since we had to name the two new pups. It's such a lovely way to generate awareness of both the important work of Marie Curie along with highlighting the essential conservation work of Belfast Zoo. Meerkats are a firm favourite of our zoo visitors, due to their playful and inquisitive nature. Kids love them!"

Collections for Marie Curie's Great Daffodil Appeal are taking place throughout March. To donate and support the appeal, visit mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil.

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