Snow White the Meerkat (aka Snowy, formerly Michael Jackson) was born on the 12th September 2010 along with a brother Sleepy and an unidentified sibling. Having begun to develop white fur and skin patches at 2 years old (late 2012 - early 2013), Snowy was tentatively diagnosed with vitiligo. As a result she was one of Adelaide Zoo’s most beloved and iconic attractions, impacting thousands of people (including zoo staff, volunteers, visitors and online followers) during her lifetime. She was humanely euthanised on 31st October 2024 at 14 years, 1 month and 20 days old due to age-related health complications. As of 8th December 2024, there have been no public statements regarding any sort of physical commemoration for Snowy. 

I learned about Snowy in April 2020, and the prospect of visiting her and seeing her in-person was one of the biggest motivations for me to make it to the other side of the COVID-19 lockdowns. I finally achieved my dream in May 2023, and it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Snowy inspired and delighted me during many of my darkest periods, and the news of her death (and lack of any mention of a memorial for her) devastated me.

I strongly believe that Snowy, the world’s first and only known white meerkat, deserves some form of tangible testament to her lasting legacy. Considering that other notable animals at Adelaide Zoo such as Greater and Chile (two of the world’s oldest flamingos and the last two in all of Australia) got immortalised through an onsite memorial AND taxidermy at the South Australian Museum, I believe Snowy’s unique qualities should afford her a similar level of respect and consideration.

She was, and continues to be, a figure of scientific, conservational and social significance, not to mention she appears to have been an invaluable asset for the zoo, attracting countless visitors and in turn helping fund Zoos SA’s not-for-profit conservation efforts (I myself went to Adelaide Zoo specifically to see her). At the very least, I believe Snowy should have an onsite monument and plaque. If her body has been suitably preserved since her passing, her scientific appeal could warrant taxidermy and display at a public educational facility as an additional measure.

If gaining the funds for a memorial is a barrier, I believe Zoos SA’s higher management should exercise transparency and explain that to the public. Crowdfunding is routinely used to help fund Zoos SA’s projects, and given Snowy’s popularity I believe people would be more than happy to help finance such memorial efforts if given the chance (myself included). The aforementioned Greater and Chile were only able to have such a thorough memorialisation after several years of crowdfunding and public awareness efforts, and I truly believe a similar outcome can be achieved for Snowy if the higher-ups at Zoos SA present Snowy’s fans with the opportunity to do so. 

This petition is intended to show and convince Zoos SA that:

• Snowy deserves a memorial (eg onsite monument/plaque, taxidermy) due to her impact on Adelaide Zoo and her broader appeal to the public, conservation and science.
• There are willing supporters and funders for memorialising Snowy if finances are a barrier to completing this potential project.

I feel like Zoos SA has under-appreciated how special and irreplaceable an animal Snowy was, and I think them giving her a proper commemoration would go a long way in rectifying that.